If I Run
by xxTaintedLullabyxx
Summary: There's a new girl at the BAU. But who is she and what is her connection to David Rossi? She developes a close friendship to a certain socially inept genius, but is that all it is?
1. Chapter 1

*See profile update 5/19/11*

If I Run (Spencer Reid)

Chapter 1

Ella Wheeler Wilcox said, "There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul."

May 1996; Grayson, Kentucky

I sat in a pitch black, dank underground room; my wrists and ankles bound with zip ties so tightly that I could feel the sticky blood staining my clothes. There was no efficient way of keeping time in such utter darkness. It could have been days, weeks, or even months. I wasn't sure but it was beginning to feel like an eternity. The last thing I remembered was walking home from school, then I woke up here, like this, him standing over me.

(Rossi P.O.V.)

She was the eighth girl taken, and the only one who was possibly still alive. We arrived here a week ago but she had already been missing for almost a month. Statistically there was little chance that she would be found alive and everyone seemed to be thinking the same.

"We should count our blessings that he hasn't taken anyone else." the sherrif said to me.

"That doesn't mean that we should give up on the girl he still has." I argued.

"Look, this guy doesn't keep his victims. All of the other girls we found had only been kept for two weeks, exactly. She's been gone for twenty six days. You said yourself it doesn't fit. If this guy had her I'm sure her body will turn up soon. Now let's find this psychopath and deal with her later."

"You're making a mistake."

(Original P.O.V.)

I was woken from a restless sleep by the sudden flood of light into my prison. This was the first time I had actually been conscious when he entered the room I now figured to be some sort of storm cellar. He approached me slowly, confidently. He stood looming over me showing no emotion as he threw a bottle of water and a few slices of bread at my feet. I grabbed them clumsily and muttered a quick and sarcastic thank you before devouring it all.

(Rossi P.O.V.)

"Mrs. Macklin, would you mind if I asked you a few more questions?" I asked the mother of the still missing girl.

"Why can't you people just leave us alone?"

"I'm just trying to find your daughter."

"My daughter is dead!" she screamed at me.

"You don't know that." I tried to reason.

"Yes, I do. Now please leave me alone."

She slammed the door in my face and I was left standing on the porch awe-struck. How could a mother believe her own daughter to be dead without proof? How could she just give up on her like that? It was clear now that I was on my own in this aspect of the investigation. I was the only one who believed in the possibility that this girl was still alive. I was her only hope.

(Original P.O.V.)

Another unknown span of time, another lifetime of dread hanging over me waiting to close in. I was almost close to giving up on getting out of here and just letting the dread take me; almost. I don't know how long it was before he came back again but this visit wasn't as pleasant as the last. I began to pray silently as he continued to approach me. All I could see of his face was a smug grin.

He picked me up roughly and sat me in a chair before punching me in the stomach. I gasped in pain but sat up straight. In my time with him I had learned that crying out, or showing pain, only made the beatings worse. He punched me in the jaw and I spit fresh blood onto the dirt floor of the cellar.

(Rossi P.O.V.)

It was a lucky break that led us to Joshua Rider, the man we believed to be the UnSub. It turns out he was a teacher at East Carter High School which all eight of the girls taken attended. It wasn't much of a lead seeing as it was the only high school in the county but they were all taking his class at the time of their disappearance.

We pulled up to his farm house sirens blaring and busted into the house guns drawn. Despite the fact that he had to have heard us coming we were able to take him down easily. The guy was actually laughing as we brought him outside. This was definately our guy. There was just one more loose end.

"Where is Chloe Macklin?" I asked him angrily.

"Who?"

"Where is she?"

"You'll never find her."

(Original P.O.V.)

I sat in the dark, tears streaming down my face as I futily tried to get the blood off of my clothes. I hadn't given up yet but I knew the man was going to kill me, it was only a matter of time now. I prayed that he would end it quickly, painlessly, but I couldn't see that happening. It was then that I heard the sirens. I began screaming and tried to push my way to the stairs of the cellar as I didn't have the strength to stand, even though I knew the door would be bolted.

When I reached the foot of the stairs I scrambled up them as fast as I could not caring about any injuries I may cause myself. I screamed louder as I pounded on the doors praying they would hear me over their own sirens. I screamed myself hoarse, beating the doors so hard that I could feel the warm, sticky blood running down my arms.

The moment before I would have given up I was blinded by the light of a full moon. Through the tears I saw a man looking down at me as he lowered his gun and climbed down to my level embracing me tightly. I held onto him as if my life depended on it, crying into his chest as my legs gave out and I had to fully rely on him to support me.

"Shh." he said softly, running his fingers through my tangled hair. "You're safe now."

Fifteen years later...

I stood outside the glass doors that read "Behavioral Analysis Unit". Inside everyone was pretty much already gone but I walked in anyway, making my way to the office of Supervisory Special Agent and Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. The door was open but I knocked lightly and he lifted his head up to look at me, confusion written on his face.

"Can I help you?" he asked.


	2. Chapter 2

Dwight Eisenhower once said, "We succeed only as we identify in life, or in war, or in anything else, a single overriding objective, and make all other considerations bend to that objective."

"Can I help you?" SSA Hotchner asked me.

"My name is Chloe Macklin."

"Right, Strauss said you would be coming. Please have a seat."

I sat down in one of the uncomfortable chairs infront of his cluttered desk and couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. This was what I had been working so hard for. I had only graduated from college six months ago, and had only finished at the academy a week ago.

"It says here that you want to join this particular department for personal reasons, can you elaborate?" he asked.

I had seen this coming but that didn't make it any easier to answer his question. Ever since I left Grayson to attend the University of Kentucky I had never spoken of what had happened to me. After graduation I moved straight to Quantico to attend the FBI academy. Now I knew I had to open up about what happened all those years ago.

"When I was fourteen I was kidnapped. After almost a month everyone had pretty much given up on me, including my own parents. Everyone but one man, a BAU agent. He kept searching for me when no one else did and he found me."

Agent Hotchner looked at me with curiosity in silence. It was the first time I had seen any trace of emotion on his face and there was a hint of something in his eyes that I couldn't figure out. I wasn't sure if his silence was a good thing or not so I just sat there staring at him as he stared back.

"Grayson right, May of '96?" someone asked from the door. I turned to see a familiar smiling face though he had aged.

"This is SSA David Rossi." Agent Hotchner said.

"I know."

"It's good to see you again Chloe."

Agent Hotchner looked confused at first but then he began to piece it together. "He was the one that found you."

"Yes." I answered softly, though he wasn't really asking.

The two shared a look that seemed to last forever. It was almost as if they were having a silent discussion and I knew I was the subject. Rossi had taken the seat next to me and seemed rather confident.

"Well your credentials seem to be in order and you have impressive recomendations from the academy." Hotchner started. "I'm going to allow you a six week probationary period but if you don't prove yourself to be an asset to this team I can't help you. Be here tomorrow morning at eight."

"Thank you." I said. "You won't be disappointed."

"I hope not."

We shook hands and said our goodbyes as I left the office and waited for the elevator. This was my chance, I was going to be able to do the only thing I had wanted to do since I was rescued. I wanted to be able to be that person, be the one who wouldn't quit. I wanted to make the kind of difference to someone that agent Rossi had made for me. What's even better, I was going to be working with my hero. The elevator doors were just about to close when Rossi slipped inbetween them.

"Welcome to the team Chloe." he said.

"Thanks, it means a lot coming from you."

"It won't be easy. This job has a tendency to consume you."

"Well I don't have any family, not close at least and I don't have many friends."

"That is sad but also a good thing. You have nothing to lose."

"And everything to gain."

"Very true."

The next morning I walked into the BAU at exactly eight o'clock. There was no one else there yet so I took a seat at the only desk without a name plate. People started to slowly come in and pretty soon the place was buzzing. Everyone just kind of looked at me and kept walking, not bothering to ask what I was doing there. That is until, I assumed, the other members of my now team arrived. I was approached first by a muscular african american man.

"Hi." he said flashing me a smile as he sat on my desk.

"Hey."

"So are you waiting for anyone in particular that I can help you find?"

"No Morgan, she's right where she needs to be." Hotch said as he walked into the room and everyone turned their attention to him. "Meet our new probationary agent, Chloe Macklin."

"Hi." I said waving awkwardly to everyone.

It was all a bit overwhelming to meet all of the new people that I would be working with. First there was Derek Morgan, the man who had first approached me. He seemed confident and carefree, he also struck me as the kind of guy who laughed in the face of danger. Then there was Penelope Garcia, the spunky technical analyst who assured me that we would be best friends in no time.

Next was Jennifer Jareau, or J.J. as she insisted, who was the team's media liason and presented all their cases. Then I met Emily Prentiss, a no nonsense kind of woman who I sensed could beat me in a fight. Of course I already knew Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner and senior agent David Rossi.

The last person I met intrigued me the most, Dr. Spencer Reid. He looked to be about my age which was surprising given his title. My first impression was that he was a total geek, which was probably true, but there seemed to be more to him than that. I was really looking forward to getting to know the whole team and hoped that I could find a home here at the BAU.

"Now that you're all acquainted we have a case." Hotch announced.

We all followed him up to the conference room and took seats around the table waiting for the details of the case. I was nervous about working my first case and prayed that I wouldn't screw it up. J.J. was the last person in the room and she took charge, filling us in.

"Franklin, Virginia; a population of about 8,500. It's mostly a rural area. They've got three victims in the span of two months and they believe the murders to be connected." she explained. "They've asked us for our assistance."

"Alright everybody grab your go bags, we leave in thirty." Hotch ordered.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: I'm not sure if there are any night clubs in Franklin, VA but for the purpose of the story let's just pretend that there are. Also, for those of you following the story, I have decided that my update day will be Wednesday because I usually have that day off.)

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "No man is justified in doing evil on the grounds of expediency."

Thirty minutes later we boarded a jet and strapped in for take off. I had never really enjoyed flying, I avoided it actually, but I supposed I would have to get used to it now. I took a few deep breaths trying to keep my nerves under control and soon the plane leveled out. I was a little startled when Morgan got up and took the seat next to me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." he apologized.

"It's okay I'm a little on edge."

"Not a fan of flying?"

"I never really was crazy about heights." I admitted with a laugh.

"You get used to it after a while."

"I figure I'll have to."

"Yeah. So of all the departments why the BAU? I heard you asked to be here."

I know that I had explained my past to Hotch but that was to get the job and I wasn't ready for it to become public knowledge. I hoped that I could keep that under wraps, forever if I could.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"I get it. It's personal and you don't know me but just so you know we're a close knit team here. It's more like a family and we take care of our own." he said sympathetically.

"That's good to know and I really hope that I can be a part of that."

"We don't usually take to new people but trust me if you prove yourself we will accept you and I hope that happens."

"That is very honest of you."

"Well I'm a what you see is what you get kind of guy. No tricks, no games, just me." he stated smiling as he locked his hands behind his head.

"If everyone was a little more like you there would be a lot less confusion in the world."

I hoped that the rest of the team would be as easy to get along with as Morgan. I hadn't really talked to anyone other than him since the introductions were made. I noticed J.J. get out of her seat and start passing around files that I assumed to be pertaining to our case.

"Alright you all know the basics; three victims in the last two months." she said.

I opened up the file she handed me to see several crime scene photos. The first thing I noticed about the victims was that they were all women, that was the only similar factor in their appearances. I could tell that they were all once beautiful, but now they were dead.

The first victim, Christa Miller, was a twenty three year old caucasian school teacher. The second, Shae Jackson, was a twenty seven year old african american nurse. The third and most recent victim, Marissa Gomez, was a twenty six year old latina legal assistant. All three young women with promissing careers squashed by, if the local police were right, the same UnSub.

The second common element I noticed was the way they were murdered. They were all strangled. There was little blood but most of their bodies were riddled with bruises. Their hands and feet were bound with duct tape that also covered their mouths. I was beginning to think the local police had it right.

"The coroner's report states that all three women had trace amounts of flunitrazepam in their system." Hotch read aloud.

"Roofies?" Emily questioned.

"Yes but all the rape kits came back negative." J.J. explained.

"So if we can figure out how he chooses his victims we can catch him." I thought aloud.

"Exactly." Rossi agreed.

I have to admit that the landing was worse than take off for me. I don't even know why I'm so afraid of heights it's one of those things that just is I guess. Pretty soon we were walking off the plane and got into two black SUVs. The ride from the airport to the local police station took nearly half an hour and when we pulled up we were met by the man in charge of the case.

"You must be the FBI, I'm Sergeant Bradley." he introduced himself.

"SSA Aaron Hotchner." Hotch said shaking the Sergeant's hand. "SSAs David Rossi, Derek Morgan, Emily Prentiss, Dr. Spencer Reid, Jennifer Jareau and our probationary agent Chloe Macklin." he introduced pointing to each of us in turn.

"It's nice to meet you all and I can't tell you how glad I am that you're here."

"We just want to help in any way we can." J.J. said.

"We could sure use it."

"We'll need a place to work." Hotch stated.

"Right, we've got the conference room already set up for you."

He led us inside the station and to a room off to the side about the size of your average living room. The walls were painted a depressing gray shade and there were no windows but at least it had good lighting. A chalkboad lined the far wall with the crime scene photos taped along the sides. There was a large table in the center of the room with eight uncomfortable looking chairs sitting around it. On the table was a stack of legal pads and a telephone. It was an altogether unimpressive looking conference room but I supposed it served its' purpose.

We all walked around the table and took a seat going over the case files we had with the Sergeant just to make sure we had all the details. As it turned out they had uncovered a promising lead since we got the file.

"We talked to the victims' families and friends and it seems that all three victims were last seen at a popular night club. Club Haywire." Sergeant Bradley explained. "We just got the lead this morning. I was about to check it out when you arrived."

"Let's go." Morgan said standing up.

"Wait Morgan." Emily spoke up. "We don't want to spook this guy. It's very likely the club is his hunting ground and if we show up asking questions he could move on and we'd have nothing."

"What are you suggesting?" Hotch asked.

"We send someone in undercover."

It was a good idea. Going in undercover would be a good way to scope out the place without tipping off the UnSub, but whoever went would have to look like they belonged there. Suddenly I realized that everyone was looking at me.

"What?" I asked oblivious.


	4. Chapter 4

"Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." Eddie Rickenbacher.

"Why are you all staring at me?" I demanded.

"You would blend in best Chloe." Reid said what they were all thinking.

"What? No."

"We would be right outside ready to storm the place if anything goes wrong." Hotch reasoned.

"I'm not so sure about this." Rossi admitted.

"I agree. It's too dangerous." Morgan said.

"What choice do we have? Do you have a better idea?" Reid questioned.

"Don't I get any say in this?" I asked.

"Not really." Hotch said flat out.

"Then it's settled." Emily agreed. "We'll have to get you some clothes though."

"She's not going in there alone." Morgan argued.

"Then you'll go with her and pose as her date." Hotch stated.

"Alright."

I couldn't believe how easily they all just made the decision for me. I could tell from Hotch's tone of voice that I didn't have a choice. This was the job. This is what I had signed up for but that didn't make it any less unsettling. My first case and I was going undercover to lure out a dangerous serial killer whose identity was still unknown.

I was glad Morgan was going with me. To be honest I was surprised that he had objected to sending me in. I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't think I could handle it or because he was concerned for my safety. It was probably both. Hell I wasn't even sure if I could do this.

Ten minutes later Emily and I left the police station. We were going to find me something suitable to wear to the club while the others worked on the profile. They would fill us in when we returned. We pulled into the town's biggest shopping center parking lot and got out of the SUV.

Stepping into the summer heat Emily walked towards a dress shop and I followed with a sense of dread. I hated dresses, I'm not sure why. I wore skirts all the time but for some reason I just didn't like dresses. I just figured I'd go along with it though. At least I'll only have to wear it once.

"Okay here's the deal." I started. "I don't like dresses but I can see that I'll have to suck it up and wear one anyway. I have one request though."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Nothing slutty please."

"Deal." she said laughing. "What's your favorite color?"

"Purple." I answered despite being confused about the relevance of her question.

"I think you would look great in purple."

"Oh."

The store was pretty big but we noticed that for some reason the dresses were seperated onto racks by color which was rather convenient as we had decided on purple already. It was easy to find the section that we were looking for. We both began searching the racks for something suitable yet not too revealing. After about twenty minutes we had picked apart all of the racks and had three possible dresses. Emily had found two and I had found one. We went to the fitting room and I took the dresses in to try them on while she waited outside in a chair.

The first dress Emily handed me was a light lavender strapless dress that fell to about my mid thigh and hugged my curves in a flattering way. It was beautiful but it just didn't seem like it would suit the scene of the club. The second was much like the first but was a blue violet hue that I felt was way too short.

The one I had chosen was more of a plum shade. It was a spagetti strapped dress that was also form fitting like the others. The straps and trim were a grayish silver and it had a diagonal hem that fell from my mid thigh to a couple inches above my knee. I was stunned at how I looked in the dress. I felt sexy for the first time in my life and I knew this was the one. I walked out of the fitting room nervously as I waited for Emily's approval.

"Wow." she said.

"Good wow or bad wow?" I asked.

"Definately good wow."

By the time we got back to the police station most of the officers along with our team were standing around waiting. I assumed that they were waiting for us before delivering the profile since Emily had called Hotch to tell him that we were on our way back. They all seemed tense, impatient and on edge. I followed her in and we leaned up against a random desk before Morgan began talking.

"Our UnSub is deeply disturbed. He's not very confident and is even shy, especially around women." he said.

"He's most likely a white male between the ages of twenty five and thirty five and holds a menial or not so important job." Rossi continued.

"He'll probably try to make his job seem more inportant than it really is." Reid added.

I pretty much tuned everything out after that. I knew the important information. I was worried about going undercover tonight. It wasn't something I was looking forward to. I just hoped that we would catch this guy before he killed another girl. I hadn't realized how zoned out I was until Reid was waving his hand in my face. I looked up at him to see concern in his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked. It was then that I looked around and noticed that everyone else gone.

"Yeah I just spaced it out."

"You look scared."

"A little but mostly I'm worried." I admitted, not really sure why.

"That's understandable. You'll be fine, Morgan will be right there with you and the rest of us will be just outside around the corner." he tried to reassure me.

I looked up at him once more and noticed just how captivating his eyes were. They were a deep brown and I felt like I could get lost in them. Though he didn't show it I could tell that he would have a great smile. I also had a feeling there was some muscle beneath that sweater vest of his. He really was an attractive man, in a geeky sort of way that had me feeling a bit flustered.

"Chloe?" he asked and I realized I had been staring.

"Yes Dr. Reid?"

"Just Reid, or Spencer if you'd like." he corrected me.

"Sorry, Spencer."

"It's alright. You space out a lot don't you?"

"Only when I get distracted." I replied with a smirk.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Got it out early since I'm leaving town tomorrow for my family reunion! I'll be back Sunday so hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter out on time.

"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it." - Mark Twain

I sat on the bed of my motel room legs crossed staring at the wall. It was almost time for me to get ready. Spencer was right, I was scared. I didn't think I was fully prepared to go undercover so soon. I had to trust that Morgan would keep me safe as I knew he would. I glanced down at the dress that laid near the edge of the bed and decided that I needed to put it on.

I stood slowly and dropped the towel I had been wearing since I got out of the shower to the floor. I pulled on a pair of black lace panties and slipped the dress over my head. The soft material felt good against my mostly bare skin as I adjusted it into place. I walked into the bathroom and applied a small amount of lilac shadow to my eyes. The clear gloss I put on my lips tasted like sugar and was the same I always used.

I walked back into the room and sat down on the edge of the bed to strap on a pair of black stilletos, hoping that I wouldn't regret wearing them. I stood infront of the mirror staring at the familiar stranger I had become. I stood there for several minutes before a knock on the door startled me. I walked over to open it seeing Morgan on the other side. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a tight navy blue v-neck shirt that showed the muscles hidden beneath it. His usual cocky smile was absent from his face as he stared at me.

"Morgan?" I asked with a chuckle.

"It's Derek tonight." he replied snapping out of his daze. "You look amazing."

"As do you."

"This is for you." he said handing me a box. I opened it to see a heart shaped necklace.

"You didn't have to." I stated.

"Oh I didn't. It's a camera and a microphone." he explained.

"Oh, right. Thanks."

"Don't mention it. So are you ready to go?"

"Yeah just let me put this on."

I walked over to the small table and set the box down after removing the necklace. I fastened the clasp behind my neck and straightened it out so that it rested a few inches above my cleavage. Morgan stood patiently as I locked the door behind me and we walked together in silence.

The rest of the team was waiting for us in the lobby and they all gave me compliments on my looks, all except Spencer. He was standing quietly in the background and shifted nervously when I caught his eye. Rossi surprised me with a hug and a wish of good luck.

"Be safe." he whispered in my ear. "I wouldn't want to have to come save you again."

"I wouldn't dream of making you." I replied laughing when he pulled away confusing the others but he just smiled at me.

"Let's go." Hotch said and we all filed out into the parking lot, me and Spencer bringing up the rear.

"You okay?" I asked him.

"Fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"You were being awfully quiet."

"Oh, well, I just, I." he stammered.

I tried not to laugh at the way he was trippng over his words nervously. I wasn't sure what was making him so nervous but I found it to be quite adorable. I couldn't supress the smile that formed on my face and he looked horrified.

"Don't laugh at me." he said defensively.

"I'm not laughing." I pointed out. "You seem nervous, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I just, you look, uh. Oh I give up."

"Thank you." I said getting the message.

"What?" he asked confused.

"You were going to say something about my appearance?" He nodded. "I assume it was a compliment?" Another nod. "Thank you."

We had reached the parking lot and I slid into the passenger seat of a car that Morgan had rented as he held the door open for me. Once I was in he closed the door and got into the driver's seat and looked over at me. I felt a pep talk coming on as I saw the look of concern on his face.

"You ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be." I replied honestly.

"Don't worry, I won't let you out of my sight. I got your back."

"Thanks Derek." I said putting emphasis on his first name trying to get used to it.

He pulled onto the road and drove the short distance to the club. As the others had left before us we passed their parked van when we came around the corner and pulled into the parking lot. Once again Morgan held the door open for me and placed a protective arm around my waist as we made our way into the club.

The inside was just like that of any other night club; loud music, sweating bodies pressed together as people danced to the rhythm of the music, and strobe lights that despite their brightness left a lot of the place in shadow. Morgan led me over to the bar and we grabbed a couple drinks.

"So what's the plan?" I asked.

"For now we just blend in. Have a drink, dance a little and keep our eyes open for a possible UnSub."

"And then?"

"Then we stage a fight and hopefully he'll take the bait.

"You mean me."

It wasn't a question but he nodded anyway pretending to sip his drink as we looked out at the crowd. I know that I wasn't in any real danger and that he would be watching me like a hawk but that didn't help to calm my nerves. An upbeat hip hop song started to play and he held his hand out for me. As I took it he led me to the center of the dance floor and moved closer while we began to dance to the rhythm.

I have to admit that Morgan was a great dancer, in this setting at least and I began to have fun with it. I had a feeling he was used to the whole club scene as he moved in even closer. To any outsider we would have looked like just another couple on the dance floor but we weren't. While we may seem to have been focused on each other really we were scanning the crowd. He pulled my back flush to his chest with an arm around my waist and leaned in close to whisper in my ear.

"Check out the guy at the bar, he's been staring at you." he said.

I smiled and looked over at the bar to see a man, probably in his early thirties who was indeed staring at me. I turned around as the song ended with a fake expression of disgust as I slapped Morgan across the face. He stepped back looking shocked and I turned to walk away. He waited a few seconds before coming after me and grabbing my arm forcing me to face him. I shoved him off and made my way to the bar ordering a drink while he went in the other direction.

"Are you alright?" I heard a man ask and turned to see the man who had been staring at me.

*Here we go.* I thought.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So sorry it took me forever to update I've been having all kinds of problems with my computer, most of which are fixed now. I'm back on schedule and am already working on the next chapter. Thanks you all of you still following this even after my more than month long hiatus.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "There is nothing worse than aggressive stupidity."

"I'm fine." I said to the man.

"I don't know what he did but he didn't deserve you." he stated faking concern.

"Huh?"

"Your boyfriend. I saw what happened."

"Oh. I didn't think anyone was paying attention."

"I'm Jay." he said holding out his hand for me.

"Chloe." I replied ignoring the hand.

I scanned the crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of Morgan but he was either concealing himself too well or he was gone. I felt uneasy as I pretended to be listening to Jay who was pretending to care about my problems. I suppose everyone was playing an angle tonight. I flagged down the bartender for another drink while Jay continued to make conversation.

"So what do you do?" he asked.

"I'm a journalist." I lied.

"Really?"

"Sort of, I haven't really been in the business long and I'm still stuck writing obituaries but I'm keeping positive."

"Well you can only go up."

"How about you?" I prodded while sipping my drink.

"What I do is not important."

I became suspicious at his secretiveness and the fact that he kept shifting the attention back to me when I tried to change topic. There was defiantely something off about his demeanor. He seemed to be gaining confidence in an instant and started looking around in an almost paranoid way. It was then that I realized what had happened. He had drugged me. Everything started getting hazy as he led me towards the back door.

(Morgan P.O.V.)

I stood in the shadows near the back of the club as I watched Chloe and a possible UnSub. I was growing impatient, ready to call the whole thing off, then I saw it. It was a quick movement, a slide of hand. I almost missed the tiny tablets that fell from his sleeve right into Chloe's drink. As he led her towards me I knew this was our guy. I didn't move from the darkness until they had reached the back exit about twenty feet from where I stood. He was practically dragging her outside at this point. That's when I made my move.

"Move in." I told Hotch over the phone and drew my weapon.

(Chloe P.O.V.)

I was faintly aware of Jay's ramblings as he half carried half dragged me down the alley behind the club towards a car. He leaned me against the rear passenger door as he fumbled for his keys and I futily tried to attack him. I only succeeded in angering him and he struck me with a backhand across the jaw. I fell to the ground smacking my head against the pavement. Just before unconciousness consumed me my eyes locked with a very pissed off Derek Morgan.

(Morgan P.O.V.)

I ran out the door just in time to see the UnSub strike Chloe and she fell to the ground hitting her head as she passed out. I knew I had to keep my emotions in check as I approached him.

"Don't move." I ordered. "Put your hands on your head and turn around."

"Look my girlfriend had a little too much to drink. I'm just trying to get her home." he said facing me.

"If I didn't already know otherwise I might believe you."

"You're that guy, her boyfriend."

"Think again."

Just then the rest of the team came around the corner and he just stood there in stunned silence as Hotch cuffed his hands behind his back and read him his rights.

(Chloe P.O.V.)

I woke with a start, my head feeling like it was going to explode. I heard a faint steady beeping noise and opened my eyes to find myself lying in a hospital bed. It was late as there was only one light on which did nothing to illuminate the small room. I looked around and noticed the sleeping form of Spencer Reid in the seemingly uncomfortable chair next to my bed.

"He hasn't left your side since you got here." a voice said from the doorway.

"I have no idea why. He doesn't even know me."

"He's taken a liking to you these past few days. We all have."

"That means a lot coming from you Morgan. So how long have I been out?"

"Just a few hours. How are you feeling?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Aside from the splitting headache I'm great and I suppose I have you to thank for that."

"No need to thank me baby girl I told you I got your back."

"Just tell me we got the guy." I stated but it was more of a question.

"Oh we got him alright. Hotch and Rossi are interrogating him as we speak."

(Rossi P.O.V.)

"So why'd you do it Jay?" I asked the UnSub.

"I don't know what you're talking about." he insisted.

"We've got your DNA on all three victims, we know you did it. We've also got you on the drugging, assualt and attempted kidnapping of a federal agent."

"That bitch was a cop?"

"We have more than enough evidence to put you away for a very long time. We're just curious as to why you did it." Hotch spoke up.

"They had it coming. The way they paraded around that club in those skimpy outfits, they were begging for it."

"You think they wanted to be killed?" I asked appauled.

"Maybe not expressively but they sure as hell wanted the attention I gave them."

"You're one sick son of a bitch."

All he could do was laugh as we handed him over to the deputy. As we watched him being led to lock up Morgan called us from the hospital to let us know that Chloe was awake and fine.


	7. Chapter 7

"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." Napoleon Hill.

* * *

><p>Five weeks later...<p>

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>We had just gotten back to the BAU after catching another deranged serial killer. I was starting to understand what Rossi meant when he said this job was consuming. I had only been here for barely a month and a half but I had already seen more than anyone should ever have to. The worst part was that I was beginning to grow accustomed to evil; I understood it in it's truest form. I suppose that's what made us good at our jobs.<p>

I dropped my duffle bag next to my desk before collapsing in the chair behind it. That's when I noticed the present sitting on the desk. It was a small rectangular box wrapped in shinny red foil paper with a rather unproportionally large silver bow.

"What's this?" I asked no one in particular as I stood.

"Open it and find out." Morgan suggested.

I opened it slowly starting with the bow then moving to the paper being sure not to tear it. Under all the shinny presentation was a simple brown box, very plain. I used a pocket knife to cut the tape and hesitated for a split second before opening it. I was confused as I pulled out a black name plate, until I turned it over to see my name etched on the other side in white letters.

"Congradulations Chloe." Rossi said smiling.

"You're officially one of us now." Morgan added.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"You earned it." Hotch stated.

To say that I was happy would have been an understatement. I was exstatic. These past six weeks I had been so worried about making a mistake that I was constantly second guessing myself and double checking everything I did. Now I was a full - fledged BAU agent. I was so excited that I pulled the nearest person to me in for an enthusiastic hug, which just so happened to be Hotch. He hugged me back awkwardly as I had obviously caught him off guard.

"So what do you guys say to celebratory drinks?" Rossi asked.

"Sounds good to me." Emily answered.

The rest of us all agreed to meet up at the bar an hour from then giving us time to go home and change. It didn't take me long to get back to my small apartment and I was greeted by my dog Ashton who was very excited to see me. She barely let me get in the door before she tackled me to the ground and furiously licked my face.

* * *

><p>(Reid P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>We all sat around a table in the back of the bar waiting for Chloe to get here before we ordered drinks. Everyone was talking and enjoying themselves but when I caught sight of her I was so distracted that I didn't hear Rossi talking to me. She was wearing a simple pair of blue jeans that hung low on her waist with a tight fitting white tank top that showed off her curves in an extremely alluring way.<p>

"Reid did you hear me?" Rossi asked.

"No I think his attention was focused somewhere else." Morgan said motioning to Chloe.

"Shut up Morgan." I spat.

I think it was obvious to them what I thought of her. That I was drawn to her, even from the beginning. I didn't know why. There was just something about her that I couldn't place. I wanted to know her, everything about her. I wanted to be close to her.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>"Hey guys." I said taking the empty seat between Rossi and Hotch.<p>

Morgan flagged down a waitress and ordered us all a round of drinks. An hour later we were all fully absorbed in our own little world sharing stories from the past, mostly from cases. I was the only one who didn't really have any stories to tell, none that I was willing to at least.

"Who's up for shots?" Morgan asked.

"You do know we have to work tomorrow." Hotch spoke up.

"Oh come on you're no fun. Fine just one who's in?"

I raised my hand along with Garcia and Spencer. Morgan went up to get the shots which were actually more than double shots and set them out in front of us.

"Hello hangover." J.J. joked.

We clanged our glasses together before downing the contents quickly. The alcohol burned my throat as I swallowed and almost instantly I could feel the effects as it entered my blood stream. Someone must have turned on the juke box because a very familiar song started playing and I saw Morgan smile widely.

"Anybody wanna dance?" he asked.

"Oh you know I'm in." Garcia said as she jumped up and they headed off to the dance floor together.

I looked over at Spencer grinning.

"No." he insisted once he figured out what I was getting at.

"It'll be fun."

"But I Don't know how to dance."

"So." said grabbing his arm and practically dragging him to the dance floor.

I pulled him over to where Morgan and Garcia were and put both of his hands on either of my hips. I put my own hands around his neck and moved in close as I started dancing. It didn't take him long to get the hang of it and pretty soon he was leading as the music continued.

* * *

><p>There's not a soul out there<p>

No one to hear my prayer

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight

Won't somebody help me chase the shadows away

Gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight

Take my through the darkness to the break of the day

* * *

><p>The song ended and we made our way back to the table. I hadn't even noticed that his arm was still around my waist until he removed it as we sat down opposite each other. I didn't understand why the absence of his touch made me ache.<p>

"Nice moves Reid. I didn't know you could dance." Morgan complimented.

"I can't, or I didn't I guess."

"I told you it would be fun." I said.

"Yeah."

I think that he was a little embarrassed at the attention or maybe he just wasn't used to it like this. He seemed to be out of his comfort zone and I felt a little bad for putting him in the situation. It was starting to get late so we all decided to call it a night because, as Hotch pointed out earlier, we did have work to do in the morning. As I was getting into my car Spencer ran up to me.

"Hey Chloe do you mind giving me a ride?" he asked a little unsure of himself.

"No problem, hop in."

He got in the passenger seat and I pulled out of the parking lot as he buckled his seat belt. Other than the occasional directions he gave me we didn't really talk at all. I pulled up to the curb in front of an apartment building and he took off his seat belt ready to get out.

"Spencer."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Sorry if I embarrassed you earlier." I apologized.

"Don't worry about it."

On impulse I leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. When I pulled back he was smiling but his eyes showed confusion. I just shrugged. I honestly didn't know why I did it and I didn't think I'd be figuring it out tonight.

"Thanks for the ride." he said.

"You're welcome, night."

"Goodnight."

He got out of the car and disappeared into the building as I pulled away from the curb smiling. I had no idea what I had been thinking when I kissed him, or even when I had gained the courage to get that close to someone. To be honest I hadn't really had any experience in that department always fearing making myself vulnerable enough to let anyone in. I was definately in unfamiliar territory and though I was pratically giddy about it now it would be terrifying me later.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I know that some of you may be a little confused about me switching my posting days and I do apologize but my schedule has been pretty jumbled lately. So since you had to wait an additional two days for an update I have decided to make it a longer than usual chapter. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, I know it's kinda lame but it really does make my day. It's good to know that you guys enjoy reading my story as much as I enjoy writing it. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, I do my own editing so something that might make sense to me could be confusing to some of you guys and I'd be greatful if you would just let me know.

* * *

><p>"Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared dream before." - Edgar Allan Poe.<p>

* * *

><p>I woke up the next morning to a pounding head ache and the sun shining in my eyes. Maybe I should have listened to Hotch and not taken those shots last night. My hand searched blindly through my night stand drawer for the bottle of asprin I always kept there. When I found them I swallowed two tablets dry.<p>

I groaned loudly as I drug myself out of bed and began my daily morning routine, opting to skip taking Ashton out for a run. Before I knew it I was walking through the doors of the BAU to see J.J. and Emily poking fun at Spencer who looked asleep at his desk. He was probably just pretending to be asleep in hopes that they might leave him alone.

"Good morning sunshine." Morgan said to me as I sat down at my desk.

"Do you have to be so loud?" I complained.

"I'm not, you're just hung over."

"And you're not?" I asked with a grimace.

"Nope." he said cheerfully.

I was about to make a retort but was interrupted by Hotch whistling to get our attention. It looked like we had a new case and we all headed up to the conference room for the briefing.

"How does he do it?" I asked Spencer as we trudged up the stairs lagging behind everyone.

"I honestly don't know. At least not definitively; he won't tell me. It probably has something to do with his specific genetic structure. Since everyone has different genes in a multitude of different sequences some of us are more adept at certain things than others." he said lazily.

"Yeah probably." I agreed.

We all took our seats around the table as J.J. and Hotch talked quietly before turning to us with a look that told me this was going to be a tough case.

"Chesterfield, Missouri is a relatively small town with its' population being under fifty thousand." J.J. began. "There are three victims over the last eight months so far  
>but due to the extremely gruesome nature of the murders and the decrease in the time span between the murders the local police think this guy's just getting started."<p>

She passed around copies of the case files to all of us and I opened mine to be met with the smiling faces of the victims; utterly oblivious to the horrors that lay ahead of them.

The first victim, Adam Stewart, was a thirty five year old lawyer found almost eight months ago. He was a husband and a father of four. He was beaten badly and suffered several broken bones before his chest was cracked open and the UnSub removed his heart.

The scenes were the same for the other two victims. Madeline Stowe, a seventy two year old widow, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother was discovered nearly four months ago. I found myself wondering what kind of sick bastard could do that to an elderly woman. The most recent victim, Zack Ethan, was a fourteen year old high school student with exemplary grades found three weeks ago.

"There doesn't seem to be any pattern to the victimology on the surface." I stated.

"So far the police haven't been able to find any connections." Hotch confirmed my conclusion. "This guy is brutal."

"With this level of violence he probably has a criminal history and we're definately dealing with an UnSub who isn't going to stop killing until he's caught." Morgan noted.

"And he won't go easily." Rossi added.

The plane ride to Missouri only took a few hours and I spent the time memorizing the details of the case. The vicious way in which the victims were killed and the puzzling fact that the hearts were all still missing. I couldn't help but feel that there was something missing, some detail that wasn't in the files. As we got off the plane we were met by the officer in charge of the case.

"You must be from the FBI." he assumed. "I'm detective Washburn."

We all introduced ourselves and talked about the case as we rode to the station. They already had a room set up for us with photos of all the evidence scattered across the wall.

"Detective Washburn." a random officer said sticking his head into the room. "We got another one."

"Where?"

"A cheap apartment downtown."

"Thanks."

"Rossi and Chloe you two take the new scene. The rest of us will split up and check out the previous scenes." Hotch gave out orders and we all nodded in agreement.

Rossi and I arrived at the apartment of Maggie Saunders, a twenty three year old waitress, about twenty minutes later. The medical examiner was just finishing his preliminary exam as we walked in the door.

"Do you have a cause of death?" I asked.

"There's obvious blunt force trauma and massive blood loss but the lack of bruising around the wound suggests that most of the blood loss was post mortom. My best guess right now would be a brain hemorrhage but I'll know more after a more thourough examination." he explained.

"What's the time of death?" Rossi questioned.

"I'd say that based on her liver temperature time of death was between twelve and eighteen hours ago but like I said before I'll know more after a thourough examination."

"Thank you Doctor."

There was an abundance of blood on the apartment floor where the victim was lying and the bruises I spotted on the body as they prepped it for transport suggested that the victim put up a decent fight.

"Not decent enough." I mumbled aloud.

"What was that?" Rossi asked.

"Nothing, I was just voicing my thoughts."

I took a walk around the apartment trying to get a better feel for the victim. I noticed the books stacked on a shelf along one wall. Taking out a few I noted that they were well worn, something that you didn't usually see in this digital age. I walked into the bathroom taking in the level on cleanliness until something caught my eye on the mirror.

"Rossi you need to see this." I called as I removed a single sheet of paper taped to the mirror.

"What did you find?"

"It looks like a poem but it's incomplete."

"A poem?"

_**As a burning and a fever**_

_**Which would cling to thee forever.**_

_**Now are thoughts that shalt not banish -**_

_**Now are visions ne'er to vanish;**_

_**From thy spirit shall they pass**_

_**No more - like dew-drops from the grass.**_

"How does that fit into the case?" Rossi asked no one in particular.

"I have no idea, but it has smudges of blood on it."

"Maybe the UnSub wasn't getting the attention he wanted and decided to leave us a clue."

"Could be." I agreed confused, walking into the living room area.

"What's wrong?"

"I could swear I've heard this before I just can't figure out where. Wait a minute." I said hastily as I moved over to the book shelf selecting a thick book, the only one which looked like it hadn't been read.

"_The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe_?" Rossi questioned.

"Yeah I read it a lot in high school; kind of dark but he was a brilliant author." I flipped towards the back until I found what I was looking for. "I knew I'd heard it before, or rather read it. '_Spirits of the Dead_' one of his earlier works." I said triumphantly as I handed him the book.

"Fourth stanza." he stated.

"What do you wanna bet there's one at each of the other crime scenes? I thought there was something missing from that file."

"This could be the connection we've been looking for, or our UnSub is just a lunatic with an Edgar Allan Poe obsession." he said.

"Either way we know one thing for sure." I stated grimly.

"What's that?"

"There's going to be another victim."

* * *

><p>AN: Due to the certain impending power outages in my area this weekend and possibly into early next week I will not be posting a new chapter on next friday. The next update will be 9/9/11.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Bear with me with all the page breaks but for some reason I can't get the spacing to stay right, every time I fix it it just doesn't work and this was the easiest way to make sure it seperated. Sorry.

* * *

><p>"Experience has shown, and a true philosophy will always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger portion of the truth arrises from the seemingly irrelevant." - Edgar Allan Poe.<p>

* * *

><p>Rossi and I were the first ones back to the station; we had rushed over once we found the possible lead. We entered the conference room the local police had set up for us and I searched the photos on the wall for the other parts of the poem that we found.<p>

"They're not here." I said frustrated.

"That just means that they didn't think it was relevant." he replied opening one of the evidence boxes on the large table. I grabbed another and started digging through it as the others walked in.

"Find anything?" Hotch asked.

"A possible connection if we can find the rest of it." I stated without looking up.

"Got one." Rossi said. "From the second crime scene."

He handed the bagged sheet of paper containing the text of another stanza of the poem to Hotch. Spencer walked around the table to pick up and examine the one we had brought from the most recent victim's apartment.

"Where have I heard this before?" he asked himself.

"It's from 'Spirits of the Dead' by Edgar Allan Poe." Rossi explained.

"That's right. It was one of my mother's favorites."

"Nice catch Dave." Hotch complimented.

"Actually Chloe was the one who figured it out."

"Oh."

"I found the other two." I declared.

We put all four pieces on the wall in order and took a step back as Emily read them aloud.

* * *

><p><strong>The soul shall find itself alone<strong>

**'Mid dark thoughts of the gray tombstone -**

**Not one, of all the crowd, to pry**

**Into thine hour of secrecy.**

* * *

><p><strong>Be silent in that solitude<strong>

**Which is not loneliness, for then**

**The spirits of the dead who stood**

**In life before thee are again**

**In death around thee, and their will**

**Shall overshadow thee: be still.**

* * *

><p><strong>The night, tho' clear, shall frown, <strong>

**And the stars shall not look down**

**From their high thrones in the Heaven**

**With light like Hope to mortals given; **

**But their red orbs, without beam,**

**To thy weariness shall seem**

* * *

><p><strong>As a burning and a fever<strong>

**Which would cling to thee forever.**

**Now are thoughts thou shalt not banish -**

**Now are visions ne'er to vanish;**

**From thy spirit shall they pass**

**No more - like dew-drops from the grass.**

* * *

><p>"That's not the end of it though." Spencer stated.<p>

"No there is one more stanza." I said before reciting the final verse from memory.

* * *

><p><strong>The breeze - the breath of God - is still,<strong>

**And the mist upon the hill**

**Shadowy - shadowy - yet unbroken,**

**Is a symbol and a token, -**

**How it hangs upon the trees,**

**A mystery of mysteries!**

* * *

><p>"So if the pattern continues there's going to be another victim." Morgan said.<p>

"At least one, he's probably out looking for one now or has already selected one." Hotch confirmed.

"What happens after that?" Detective Washburn asked.

"We profiled the UnSub as someone who wouldn't stop killing until he was caught. Right now he's in control, keeping to a pattern but once he's finished with the set five of the poem it's likely he'll devolve."

"Meaning?"

"Basically he will lose control and start killing at random with no precendent, no clear reason other that the satisfaction of killing." I explained.

"Isn't that what he's been doing all along?" He asked starting to get aggitated at his confusion.

"No. The meticulous ritual suggests that each victim was chosen for a reason, most likely the victims committed what the UnSub believes to be a personal injustice that he believes himself to be righting." Spencer clarified.

"Look it's late and we've all had a long day. Why don't we call it a night and look at everything with fresh eyes in the morning." Rossi suggested.

"Good idea." Hotch agreed.

* * *

><p>It was a short ride from the station to the hotel we were staying at that wasn't really a hotel at all, it was more of a motel.<p>

"They only had three doubles and a single left." J.J. announced as she walked back towards us from the office holding up a multitude of keys.

"Dibs on the single." Morgan called taking the key from her.

She passed out the rest of the keys not really paying attention as she paired herself with Emily and Rossi with Hotch which left the last room for Spencer and myself. Everyone just looked at us, I supposed they were questioning whether we were comfortable sharing a room or not.

"I can make Morgan switch with you." Hotch said quietly to me.

"No it's fine with me, as long as that's okay with you." The second part was directed at Spencer who just shrugged.

"Okay then. Everybody get some rest we'll leave for the station around nine." Hotch ordered.

We all split up heading to our designated rooms to turn in but sleep was the furthest thing from my mind. I was still fixated on the case. When I got into the room I threw my duffle bag on one of the beds before grabbing my sleep clothes and changing in the bathroom.

Spencer seemed a little uncomfortable as I walked out wearing a short pair of shorts and a tight tank top. He didn't say anything he just averted his eyes and went into the bathroom to change himself, emerging in a pair of pajama pants that hung low on his hips and a white t-shirt. Knowing that sleep wouldn't come to me any time soon I pulled my laptop out of my bag and sat down at the small table in what was supposed to be a living room area to do some research though I hadn't the first clue where to start.

"We're supposed to be getting some sleep." he said taking the seat across from me.

"I know and I would love nothing more but I'm wide awake."

"So you figured if you can't sleep anyway you might as well work on the case?"

"What else is there to do Spencer?" I questioned him.

"Crappy late night television." he suggested as he slowly closed my laptop making me laugh.

"Okay you win."

I grabbed the blanket off of the back of the couch before tossing him the remote and we both got comfortable. We ended up watching reruns of Firefly. I don't even think we made it through two episodes before we both passed out from exhaustion still on the couch.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I changed the age of the third victim to sixteen so that it would fit into the story better. Sorry if it's confusing.

* * *

><p>Edgar Allan Poe said, "Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence."<p>

* * *

><p>I woke up sometime around six thirty confused as to why I was still on the couch and why my pillow was moving. I shifted to lift my head and felt a pair of arms around my waist pulling me closer as I spied the still sleeping form of Spencer Reid through my tangled veil of hair.<p>

At this point my mind was slipping into panic mode as I tried to figure out what to do. We had obviously fallen asleep watching TV, which explained why the Ballad of Serenity was stuck in my head. I know I should have gotten up but surprisingly enough I was actually comfortable on the small couch in his arms. Sure it was unprofessional but I couldn't bring myself to move so I just laid my head back down on his chest and let the steady rhythym of his heart beat lull me back to sleep.

* * *

><p>The both of us were scared awake as the alarm clock on my phone went off at eight. I grabbed at the table for it but couldn't reach it due to Spencer's arms which were still firmly locked around my waist.<p>

"Sorry." he said letting go so I could shut off the shrill ringing of the alarm.

"Don't worry about it."

We got up and got ready for work with only slight awkwardness hanging in the air between us. I know he had put two and two together and come to the same conclusion that I had but it took quite a few minutes for the intense blush to leave his face after he realized he had been holding me all night. We made an unspoken agreement that we wouldn't talk about it. I had the feeling that he was as inexperienced with women as I was with men.

* * *

><p>At about a quarter to nine Spencer and I descended the stairs of the motel to see the rest of the team already waiting for us just standing around the two FBI issued totally cliche black SUVs. J.J. came over and handed us each a cup of coffee from the 24 hour mini mart across the street.<p>

"God I love you." I said to the cup earning stares from everyone and a smirk from Morgan because they thought I was talking to her. "Coffee." I clarified with an exasperated look.

"You're welcome." she repiled laughing.

We all split up getting into either of the two vehicles before pulling out of the parking lot in the direction of the precinct. We walked into the conference room and began pouring over the vast array of evidence sprawled across the table and walls still looking for anything we might have missed that would lead us to the UnSub.

"None of this makes any sense." Emily complained. "Why these people? He had to have found them somewhere but we can't find any common places the victims frequented."

"Why does he take the hearts?" Rossi questioned.

"And what does this poem have to do with it?" Reid asked still staring at it quizzically.

"What if he's trying to distract us? These crimes are complete over kill and the poem just doesn't make any sense. None of it fits." Morgan mused aloud.

"You think he's trying to throw us off?"

"It's the only thing that would make sense."

"Morgan's right I think we should focus just on the victimology. If we can figure out why he's choosing these particular people then we could beat him to his next victim." Hotch said as Morgan's phone began ringing.

"Tell me you love me." we all heard Garcia say over the speaker phone.

"Now that all depends on what you got for me baby girl." Morgan replied grinning.

"Oh you are such a tease. Okay so it took me a while to find this because the record was sealed but I did find a connection between three of our victims. Adam Stewart, the lawyer, defended a girl in a wrongful death suit of a teenage boy. Get this, the person driving the car that the boy died in was Zack Ethan. Maggie Saunders, our waitress, was a witness." she explained hurriedly.

"What about Madeline Stowe?"

"I couldn't find anything on her."

"Another trick to throw us off." Hotch concluded.

"Who was Stewart defending?" I asked.

"Another teenager, Catherine Davis, she's seventeen that's why the records were sealed." Garcia Said. "She was being sued by Martin Lyle for the death of his son Chris."

"That's our UnSub." Rossi stated what we were all thinking.

"And our next victim." J.J. added.

"Thanks Garcia." Morgan said.

"Anything for you love."

* * *

><p>It didn't take us long to get to Catherine Davis' house, which was huge by the way. There wasn't a single light on inside, it was like the power had been cut. Emily, Spencer and I went around the back while the rest of the team went in the front door. Before we could get to the back porch we found the body of Mr. Davis, or at least I assumed, by the breaker box. It looked like I was right about the UnSub cutting the power.<p>

Spencer kneeled to check Mr. Davis for a pulse shaking his head slightly when he couldn't find one. We approached the back door and Emily kicked it in as we rushed through guns and flash lights raised. We checked the back of the house room by room finding nothing and no one. Spencer nodded in the direction of a locked door and I silently picked the lock and opened it before following him up the stairs, Emily staying at the foot of the stairs.

Waiting for us at the landing at the top of the stairs was Catherine Davis kneeling in front of the UnSub with her back turned to him, the blade of his knife against her throat. I informed Emily of our situation by calling down and heard her run in the direction of the rest of the team while Spencer kept his gun trained on the UnSub. He started to panic as we all heard the footsteps of our fellow agents falling heavily upon the stairs. In the time it took me to blink he had shoved Catherine in our direction and dove for the window as Spencer shot multiple rounds into his back before he crashed through it falling to the ground below, his lifeless body landing with a loud thud. I caught Catherine clumsily, actually it was more like she landed on me, as Spencer joined by the others ran over to the window the UnSub had crashed through.

"Are you okay?" I asked Catherine as we both managed to sit up. I couldn't understand her muffled response as she sobbed into my chest.

* * *

><p>The plane ride home was quiet as it had been late when we left and just about the whole team was sleeping soundly. I was curled up in one of the chairs next to Spencer who was drooling on the table infront of him. I laughed to myself at the sight of it; it was just adorable.<p>

"You're handling this job exceptionally well so far Chloe." Rossi, who sat across from me, said quietly.

"But?" I asked sensing he wasn't finished.

"No but, I'm being serious. Considering what happened in Grayson you're doing a good job at not letting it get to you."

"Grayson was a long time ago. I try not to think about it but to be honest sometimes when I look at crime scene photos I get flashbacks." I confessed. "I play it off like I just spaced out but sometimes I think they know."

I stared down at the table apathetically as he reassured me that no one would know about what I had been through until I was ready to share the secrets of my past unaware that Spencer was actually awake listening to our hushed conversation intently.

* * *

><p>"Stupidity is a talent for misconception." - Edgar Allan Poe.<p>

* * *

><p>AN: The 'Ballad of Serenity' is the theme song from 'Firefly'.


	11. Chapter 11

Mignon McLaughlin once said, "The past is strapped to our backs. We do not have to see it; we can always feel it."

* * *

><p>Another few weeks had passed along with a couple of cases and I was really feeling at home in the BAU. My colleagues had become my friends and the only functioning family I had ever known. There was really no time for life outside the job, we spent every day together even after working hours.<p>

I walked into the BAU just like every other morning only today I was running a bit early. Rossi was already in his office talking to J.J. when I sat down at my desk. A small envelope caught my attention and I picked it up to see my name scribbled across it in an almost illegible handwriting. I opened it tentatively then smiled to myself when I realized that it was a card. Today was my birthday.

"What've you got there Chloe?" Spencer asked as he walked in and sat down at his desk.

"Nothing." I replied hastily as I hid the card in a drawer.

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Hey Chloe." J.J. said walking towards us. "Garcia, Emily and I are going out for a girls night. Do you want to come?"<p>

"Sure."

"Great, we'll pick you up at eight."

I know that J.J. was always a cheerful person but she seemed unusually perky this morning. I had the feeling that something was going on but I just ignored it as I went on with my day.

* * *

><p>Eight rolled around quickly enough as I put the finishing touches on my makeup as there was a knock on the door. I opened it to see the girls who were all dressed up and smiling suspiciously. I was still wondering why they told me to dress up but just went along with it.<p>

"So where are we going?" I asked as we got in the car.

"Dinner." Emily answered simply.

"Sounds like fun."

"That's the idea."

We pulled up to a fancy restaurant and J.J. led us all to a back room where the rest of the team stood around a table.

"Surprise!" they all shouted.

"You did this." I said pointing at Rossi as he walked over to hug me.

"I know you hate surprises but I had to do it." he whispered in my ear.

"You could have just told me you guys were throwing me a party."

"And you wouldn't have let us."

"Besides where's the fun in that?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, yeah I get it. That doesn't mean I like it."

* * *

><p>(Unknown P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I stood across the street from the swanky restaurant staring through the window at all the cheerful faces of the group celebrating over their meal. Soon, I thought. Soon it would be my time, time to make my move and none of them would see it coming. I had been fantacizing about this day for years. We would finally be able to finish what we started so many years ago.<p>

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>After we finished our dinner the waiter came back with a cart full of presents. I tried to argue that they didn't have to give me anything but they just told me to shut up and open my gifts. I opened Morgan's first which turned out to be a slender black dress.<p>

"Garcia helped me pick it out." he said flashing me a smile.

I would have asked how he knew my size but I figured I would just let it go; I probably wouldn't want to know the answer. Garcia's gift was the matching shoes to the dress which had heels so tall I could see myself having trouble walking in them. J.J. got me a gift certificate for a spa weekend and Emily got me a really cute jacket. I opened Hotch's present next not really knowing what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to see the simple gold chain necklace lying in the box. He stood to place the chain around my neck for me. Rossi's gift was next which turned out to be a fancy fountain pen stationary set.

"I noticed how you're always writing. You don't type anything unless you have to." he explained.

"I've always thought typeface was too impersional." I agreed.

Last was Spencer's gift. I opened the slender rectangular box to see a silver charm bracelet with six little charms already attached. There was a dragonfly, a rose, two interlocking hearts, a moon with a star, a treble clef and a turtle. It fit perfectly as he secured the clasp around my wrist.

"Thank you, all of you. I've never really had a decent birthday party I always just ignored my borthday all together." I said.

"That's just sad." Garcia commented.

"Yeah well you guys don't know my family."

Rossi gave me a sympathetic look, being the only one that did know my family and how cruel they could be. It was true that they had never physically abused me but the emotional torture had always been a part of my life. After Rossi brought me home when they had insisted that I was dead that's the way they treated me, as if I didn't exist anymore. I had always thought they felt disappointed that I did.

"Well we're your family now and this is how we do things." Morgan said matter of factly.

Emily changed the subject and we all spent the next couple of hours enjoying each other's company and conversing on every topic under the sun. Morgan, J.J. and I even had a pretty heated discussion on football, it was kind of childish really.

"I don't know about you guys but I think it's time to call it a night." Hotch announced.

"He's right it's getting late and we all have work tomorrow." Rossi agreed.

We all said our goodbyes and I thanked everyone again before Spencer offered to give me a ride home since he only lived a few blocks away from me. He even helped me carry all my presents.

* * *

><p>He walked me to my apartment once again helping me with the gifts when we got to the building. It took a little fiddling to get the door unlocked which was unusual. We dropped the boxes on the table and I shut the door behind us.<p>

"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked.

"Water will be fine."

"Okay." I moved into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the refrigerator and jumped when I turned around to see him standing directly behind me. "Spencer you scared me."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." he said quietly moving in closer.

"What are you doing?"

He didn't answer me with words, instead he gingerly placed both his palms on either side of my neck, rubbing his thumbs across my cheeks as he leaned down to press his lips against mine in a slow sweet kiss. He pulled back barely and inch and looked in my eyes waiting for a response, begging not to be rejected. I didn't have the time to respond though before all the lights went out and we were attacked.


	12. Chapter 12

"There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart's controls. There is advantage in wisdom won from pain." - Aeschylus.

* * *

><p>I awoke to the sound of the steady drip of water echoing off the cold stone floor. I opened my eyes trying to figure out where I was when the memory of last night's events came rushing back like a tidal wave. I heard a groan and looked to my left to see Spencer slumped on the floor struggling to sit up while tied to a large metal pipe. Instinctly I tried to get to him but realized that I too had been bound to a similar pipe.<p>

"Spencer." I called quietly.

"Chloe? What happened?"

"Well either this is Hotch's twisted punishment for an attempt at an inner office relationship, or we're in big trouble."

"Something tells me this isn't Hotch's doing." he said laughing.

"Yeah probably not."

I know that our situation was a serious and dangerous one and we shouldn't be joking around but we were trying to keep calm. Freaking out and imagining all of the possible horrific scenarios would just make things worse and drive us insane. From what I could see we were in some kind of warehouse. The particular room that we were in was about twelve feet squared and as far as I could tell we were alone; it was dark.

"I'm sorry Chloe." he started. "For earlier, I was out of line." he finished looking everywhere but in my direction.

"You mean the kiss."

"Yes."

"Don't apologize, because I'm not sorry it happened." I said matter of factly.

"Then I'm glad I put myself out there because I honestly had no idea how you felt and I was going crazy trying to make sense of what I was feeling." he babbled.

"Spencer this may be an overstatement of the painfully obvious but I'm not the easiest person to get close to. Far from it actually. I've had a bad past and I'm afraid that if I ever let anyone in they'll think I'm damaged goods and too far gone to bother." I confessed. "The only person that really knows me completely is Rossi."

I knew that once I said it he would have even more questions for me and I wasn't sure why I let it slip. Maybe I was just tired, tired of hiding, at least from him. This wasn't really the ideal time to be discussing this but maybe I was afraid that I wouldn't get another chance. That if somehow we made it out of this, whatever this was, that I would shut him out again; completely this time.

"What is it with you and agent Rossi?" he asked frustrated. "It's like you two have some history that none of us are allowed to ask about. We all see it."

"It's complicated." I whispered.

"Well clearly neither of us is going anywhere anytime soon. Do you two have a thing going on?"

He almost sounded jealous and I could tell that he was but that he was trying not to show it. I didn't know what to say, I had been hiding so long that I didn't know how to explain everything or let anybody in. I knew that it was just a story that I needed to tell and I had rehearsed it a thousand times but it was more than that.

"Okay." I agreed defeated.

Before I could start to open up though there was a loud scrape and a heavy metal door in the corner of the room slid open and a man walked towards us. He was tall and well built wearing jeans and a hoodie. Even though his hood was up and it was rather dark there was no mistaking the evil grin plastered on his face.

"Hello again Chloe." he said mockingly as my mind went blank of everything, everything but fear.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

I got into work late this morning, figuring everyone else would be doing the same but by the time I got there everyone was already at their desks doing paperwork. Everyone but Chloe and Reid. I brushed it off assuming they would be in soon but when noon rolled around and they still weren't there I got the feeling that something was wrong.

"Anybody heard from Chloe or Reid?" I asked walking into the break room.

"I've been calling them both but neither has picked up yet." J.J. said.

"Maybe they finally hooked up and are too busy to answer the phone." Morgan suggested with a smirk and in the back of my mind I hoped that he was right.

"No way." Emily commented.

"Oh come on they're so into each other. Tell me you don't see it." he dared.

"We see it." Hotch said stoically walking past, not looking up from the file in his hands.

"I'm going to run by Chloe's apartment and make sure everything is okay." I said ignoring the suspicious looks from the rest of the team as I walked away.

* * *

><p>(Reid P.O.V.)<p>

I had no idea what was going on. Apparently the man who had kidnapped us knew Chloe but neither of them said how. But he wasn't working alone, there was no way he could have knocked us both out at the same time, he had to have a partner.

"What do you want from me?" Chloe asked the man angrily.

"The same thing I wanted fifteen years ago."

"If you let him go I won't fight you." she propositioned.

"I'm not leaving you." I declared, that was the last thing I would ever do.

"I wouldn't have let you either way, she's too much fun when she tries to fight back." the man said wickedly.

"You won't win. They'll find us." Chloe yelled earning her a hard backhand to her jaw.

"You mean _HE'LL_ find you and he won't, not this time."

He threw a few more punches her way and as much as I struggled I couldn't break free to stop him. I knew I couldn't have won a fight against that man anyways but I would have died trying if it meant she would be safe. I screamed and cursed at him trying to attract his attention so he might leave her alone and it worked. He kneed me in the face before pulling me into a standing position and landing a few shots to my ribs. Then he dropped me and left the room as unaffected as when he had entered.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

I got out of my truck noticing that Reid's car was still parked outside Chloe's apartment building. I really was hoping that Morgan was right and that I would find them wrapped up in one another but when I got off of the elevator and walked down the hall to see her door slightly ajar I got a sinking feeling.

I drew my gun pushing the door open slowly and entered the apartment. Nothing seemed out of place until I saw the refrigerator door wide open and several bottles of water littering the kitchen floor. I reached out to close the refrigerator door and that's when I saw the note on the freezer. Suddenly the worry I had been feeling earlier turned into sheer terror as I read the short, simple note that was no doubt left for me.

**YOU CAN'T SAVE HER TWICE.**


	13. Chapter 13

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The wise man in the storm prays God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear."

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>"Chloe you need to tell me what's going on." Spencer said to me after a while.<p>

It had been hours and we were both beaten pretty badly. I knew he was right, that it was time to come clean but I needed to compose myself. I needed to figure out how to explain everything in the simplest way possible. He didn't push me further as he knew I needed to mentally prepare myself.

"When I was fourteen I was kidnapped walking home from school one day. I was kept in a dark storm cellar and every few hours he would come down and beat on me. After a while I got used to it, I just let it happen. It lasted for twenty seven days, long after the police and even my own parents had given up on me." I confessed, ignoring the sympathetic look on his face as I knew he was picturing it all.

"The only person that hadn't given up on me was an FBI agent; Rossi. He kept looking, kept insisting that there was a chance I could still be alive." I continued. "He was the one that found me."

"That's why you two are so close."

"Yes, but it's more than that Spencer. When he brought me home my parents were actually disappointed, at least I always thought so. They had never wanted me in the first place and they always made sure I knew it. When I came back they just pretended that I wasn't even there. He was the only person that had ever even cared about me, cared about whether I lived or died, until I joined that BAU and met the team that is."

Once I started I couldn't stop, it was like the walls just came crashing down all at once. It felt good to finally let someone in. I hated that it took getting kidnapped by a psychotic serial killer hell bent on revenge for me to open up to Spencer but I was glad that I finally had.

"And that's why you joined the BAU." he stated.

"I wanted to make the kind of difference to someone that he had made for me and I ended up with a family."

"What does that have to do with our current situation?" he asked trying not to be rude.

"Same UnSub." I said simply.

"So what you're saying is that the guys that kidnapped us are the same ones that took you fifteen years ago?"

"Yes, though back then I didn't know there were two of them."

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I walked back into the BAU and went straight for Garcia. If we didn't find this guy soon Chloe and Reid could, no, I wouldn't think about what could happen. I already couldn't get the image of when I first found Chloe all those years ago out of my mind. I found Garcia in the briefing room with the rest of the team chatting away.<p>

"Garcia I need everything you've got on Joshua Rider. Now." I demanded.

"What's going on Dave?" Hotch asked. I pulled the note I found from my pocket and handed it to him in explaination. "God."

"What?" Morgan asked worriedly.

"Got it." Garcia announced. "Joshua Rider, 38, currently serving consecutive life sentences for killing seven teenage girls and kidnapping and beating an eighth."

"Rossi?" Morgan continued.

"The eighth victim was Chloe." Hotch said quietly.

"You're serious?" he asked but got nothing but a stoic look in return.

"Hold up." Garcia interrupted. "Joshua Rider escaped from a prison transport two days ago and he had help."

"We always thought he had a partner but he went underground when we apprehended Rider." I said.

"And now they've got her again." Hotch stated.

"Reid too."

"Wait, these guys have both of them?" J.J. questioned.

"Well we can't get ahold of Reid and his car is still outside of her building so I'm assuming so." I explained.

"Then let's get on this before anything happens." Morgan said.

"We should start with the original case. We need to find the partner." Emily suggested.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>"Spencer?" I asked quietly.<p>

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Dragging you into this. They only wanted me and now you're all bruised and bloody and it's all my fault." I confessed.

"This is not your fault." he said sternly. "None of this is your fault and I'm glad I'm here because I'd do anything to take some of the beating from you."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Why would you do that?" I asked astonished.

"Because you're my friend and hopefully with some time maybe more." he admitted.

I wasn't used to someone caring about me like that. At least not anyone that would admit it. It had always been just Rossi but now I had a whole group of people that I truely knew were searching for us right now. And Spencer, he was willing to take the beatings if it would save me some pain.

"Thanks, that means a lot." I said simply.

Our conversation was haulted by the door sliding open once more though this time there were two of them. I had never seen the second man in connection to my kidnappings before and when I did my jaw dropped but I couldn't make a sound. I never expected him to be involved and now a lot of what Rossi said to me about the investigation made sense.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>It had been twenty four hours since we think Chloe and Reid had been taken. It was only eleven hours since I discovered that they were missing and we delved into the fifteen year old case. We hadn't really found anything and I was beyond frustrated.<p>

"Who were you looking at for the partner?" Emily asked.

"They were always one step ahead of us so I was looking at the local law enforcement, everyone who was involved in the case but nobody stood out."

"Then we'll check it again. Financials, backgrounds, performance reviews, everything." Hotch said.

"Already on it." Garcia spoke up tying away on her computers.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I watched as Rider landed another hit to Spencer's side. I hated to have to watch it but I knew if I closed my eyes that my imagination would concoct worse. The other man would have held my eyes open anyway. He wanted to cause me as much pain as possible and watching Spencer in pain hurt worse than anything they could have done to me physically.<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

"Calmness is the cradle of power." - J.G. Holland

* * *

><p>"I don't know how much more I can take." I admitted.<p>

* * *

><p>Judging by the light that fell through a gap in the blackened windows it had been two days since Spencer and I had been kidnapped. We were in bad shape and though he may have taken some of the burden from me I knew it was only a matter of time before they would break me. I could only take so many punches before I would give up. I doubted I could even stand right now without assistance.<p>

"We have to stay strong. We can't give into them. They want us to crack and we can't give them that satisfaction. We need to keep each other sane. The team will find us we just have to wait it out a little longer." he said sternly.

"What if they're too late?" I asked the unthinkable.

"You can't think like that."

"Okay, you're right. At least we're not alone. We just need to stay calm and everything will be okay."

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>Thirty one hours had passed since Chloe and Reid had been taken. We were all on the edge, running on fumes and each one of us refused to rest for more than an hour at a time until they were found and brought home safely.<p>

"Anything?" I asked Garcia for the millionth time. I knew I was driving her insane but I couldn't help it.

"Sir, no offense, but back off. I will let you know when I find something." she snapped.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Me too."

"Call me if you get anything." I said turning around to leave. I got halfway down the hall when my phone started ringing. "Rossi." I answered.

"I got something." she sang happily as I ran back in the room.

"Very funny."

"Gotta stay sane somehow. So check this out, you remember a guy named Randy Donnor?"

"Yeah, he was the deputy sherriff." I said remembering.

"As it so happens he left the depatment and moved not even a month after you closed the case. I'll give you three guesses as to where but you're only gonna need one."

"D.C." I guessed.

"We have a winner, and an address."

"Great job, keep digging. I want everything there is to know about Randy Donnor."

She wrote down the address and I gathered the remaining members of the team to follow the only lead we had. I was hopeful, probably more hopeful than I should have been. This was personal for all of us and we wouldn't stop until we found them.

* * *

><p>(Reid P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I had lost track of how long we had been here. Between the beatings and being cut off from the outside world I was beginning to lose hope. Chloe was the only thing keeping me sane just as I was doing for her. In the company of the UnSubs we were stone faced and silent, unwilling to give into their need for us to break. When we were alone we talked constantly, confessing each other's life stories.<p>

I told her things I had never told anyone. I told her how I felt when Tobias had me and through my subsiquent drug addiction. I told her about my mother and what it was like growing up as a child prodigy in the Las Vegas public school system. I didn't hold anything back and neither did she.

"When this is over I'm gonna sleep for a month." she stated laughing slightly through the tension.

"That sounds like such a good idea." I agreed laughing with her.

The laughter ceased, however, when the door scraped open once more and the two men stalked towards us. The smaller one lifted Chloe to her feet while the larger one revealed a policeman's baton and swiftly clubbed her across the knee. She inhaled sharply but didn't call out as she took a few deep breaths to compose herself. I stared on in silence wishing I could make it stop as he continued to beat her with the baton.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>We parked a few houses down from Donnor's residence so he wouldn't see us coming. We split up, Morgan and hotch leading a tactical team in the front while Emily and myself led our own in the back. We went in swiftly hoping to catch him off guard and checked the entire house but found no sign of him. It looked as if he hadn't even been here in a few days.<p>

"Dammit!" Morgan cursed.

"I want a tactical surveillance team watching this house around the clock in case this guy comes back." Hotch ordered as we stalked back outside.

"Maybe Garcia found something." J.J. said hopefully.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>It was winding down on day three, or so I assumed. The light I was judging by might not have even been outside light. They could have been manipulating it just to mess with us but even though I knew that from the start I still judged time by it. Spencer and I were still holding strong or trying to at least and the UnSubs were growing increasingly angry.<p>

They had to have known that they couldn't keep us for as long as they would have usually kept victims. We were federal agents who worked for the same department that had caught one of them fifteen years ago. Thinking about it now though they caught the wrong one. Rider was the submissive one which is why they were able to find his so easily.

The dominant partner however, was a whole other story and now that I saw his face I could tell why. I recognized him right away; he was the deputy sherriff on my case when I was fourteen. One memory distinctly stuck in my mind and that was the look on his face when Rossi walked me passed him when he found me. He was shocked, truely, and now it made sense why I was kept longer than the others. It was Rider. The deputy was under the impression that Rider had taken care of me like the rest but I suppose I reminded him of someone or there was something about me that made him want to keep me around. I shared my theory with Spencer and he agreed.

"It makes sense." he said.

"It's about the only thing that does."

"Maybe we can use that against them."

"What do you mean?" I asked seeing a plan form in his mind.

"Pit them against each other and use Rider's disobedience of his order to kill you to drive a wedge between them."

"It could work." I agreed. In truth it was probable that our plan could work if only as a quicker means to an end.


	15. Chapter 15

Henry van Dyke wrote, "Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love - time is eternity."

* * *

><p>Spencer and I had been trying to form a solid plan of action for the last few hours. We were sick of doing nothing but waiting. Waiting for the next beatings, waiting for the end, waiting for the team to rescue us if they could. The UnSubs wanted us to break but we weren't going to let that happen.<p>

Our old plan was to wait it out in silence until the team could find us. The new plan was to annoy the hell out of the UnSubs until one of them cracked or made a mistake. Then hopefully they would turn on each other. I know it wasn't a strong plan or even a smart one but it was the best we could muster up under the circumstances.

"Are you sure you're up for this? It could get bad." Spencer asked me.

"I'm sure, are you?"

"We don't have much choice now do we? If this goes bad -"

"No." I cut him off. "We can't think like that." I insisted repeating his earlier words to me.

"Right, let me rephrase that." he paused searching for the right words I supposed.

It was a long while before he continued, though it could have only been minutes that felt longer because I was desperately waiting to hear what he had to say. I just stared at him patiently as he tried to figure out what to say.

"This will most likely sound insignificant in our current situation but I want you to promise me something." he started.

"Anything." Under normal circumstances my eagerness to comply would have seemed like questionable behavior but after what we've been through I trusted him completely.

"If we make it out of this you'll give me a chance."

That was when I realized that we hadn't really talked about what there might have been between us since I admitted not regretting that he kissed me. The truth was that I really did like Spencer I just didn't know how to be with anyone but I had a feeling that he would understand.

"I promise but I need to ask you something in return." I finally answered.

"Yes?"

"If our personal affairs begin to interfere with our working relationship we'll end it."

"Agreed.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>After the unsuccessful raid on Donnor's house we were all growing extremely tense. J.J. and Emily tried to occupy themselves talking about anything but Chloe and Reid. Morgan looked as if he were ready to shoot someone and most likely was while Hotch and I sat stone faced in silence the entire way back to the office.<p>

"Tell me you have something else on Donnor." Morgan demanded of Garcia as soon as we walked in. "A girlfriend, parents, friends; anyone in the area that he would go to to hide out with Reid and Chloe."

"No nothing. Wait. Donnor used to work as a security guard for a company that worked out of a warehouse just outside of town." she said, her spirits lifting at the possible new lead.

"Used to?" I asked.

"He was laid off three weeks ago when the company went bankrupt and the warehouse is now vacant." she explained with a new sense of hope.

"That could be where they're keeping them." Hotch stated. "Let's go."

I knew that this could be our last chance to find them alive. It had been almost four days since they had been taken and I tried not to think about what kind of shape they may be in when we found them. Hotch recalled the tactical team and told J.J. to have an ambulance on stand by as we raced downstairs.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>Once again the heavy metal door scraped open and I looked over to Spencer giving him a small smile which he returned. It was time to put our plan into action and give it our all no matter the outcome. Something must have happened though because the deputy looked very menacing while Rider looked like he wanted to bolt. This may be easier than we anticipated.<p>

"It seems your pals are on to us." the deputy stated. "They just raided my home."

"Randy we need to make a run for it." Rider insisted nervously.

"Shut up! We will right after we take care of these two."

"Right, sorry."

Rider approached me weilding a baton and brought it down heavily on my right shoulder. I inhaled sharply the adrenaline kicking in allowing me to keep from crying out as I laughed hysterically instead. This only succeeded in angering him and he just kept hitting me repeatedly as I continued laughing. After about five mintues he stepped back huffing in rage.

"Is that the best you got?" I shouted through gritted teeth.

He dropped the baton and took hold of my hair as he punched me four times across the jaw before slamming my head against the pipe. He backed up again slightly his eyes daring me to insult him further but I just spit a mouthful of blood in his face. He went to attack me again but was held back by the deputy who whispered something to Rider to calm him down.

The deputy then stalked over to Spencer and began attacking him while Rider forced me to watch. To his credit Spencer was handling the beating well while screaming out random statistics and psychological terminology further fueling the deputy's rage. Our plan was working perfectly as Rider's grip on me faultered while he was screaming at the deputy as well. For a moment I thought we may have broken them when the deputy stepped back; that's when he pulled out the gun.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>We entered the warehouse quietly in a tight formation but didn't have to begin the search because we could hear the screams coming from the back room. We approached the room, Morgan taking the lead as we grew closer to the large door that stood wide open.<p>

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I panicked as the deputy lifted the gun to Spencer's head. We both knew it could come to this and I was glad that we could take solace in the fact that neither of us would die alone. Spencer turned his head and locked eyes with me as the deputy cocked the gun. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to look away but I couldn't even bring myself to blink. I held his gaze knowing that this was the end and for the first time in years I allowed myself to cry.<p> 


	16. Chapter 16

"As you get older it is harder to have heroes, but it is sort of necessary." - Ernest Hemingway.

* * *

><p>(Reid's P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I couldn't deny the fact that I was afraid to die as the UnSub lifted the gun to my head. I turned away looking pleadingly towards Chloe though I knew she couldn't do anything to help me. My heart broke as tears started streaming down her face and I knew that it was over.<p>

"Say your goodbyes." the UnSub demanded.

I would not say goodbye, I never was good at it but I couldn't die in silence. "I'll see you on the other side." I opted instead and she simply nodded before she closed her eyes and I did the same.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I finally shut my eyes not being able to bear watching Spencer be murdered but the tears kept falling. This moment was far worse than the four days of constant beatings. There was a single loud gunshot and I screamed unwillingly in reaction and began to cry louder. It was my fault, all of it, No matter what Spencer told me deep down I knew that his death was on my hands. If I hadn't been rescued fifteen years ago he would still be alive.<p>

I heard the distinct click of a knife opening as I felt strong arms lifting my weight and I knew it was my turn. I didn't dare open my eyes as I was cut free and I didn't make a move to run either. I was crying so loudly that I couldn't hear anything aside from my own wailings and my pounding heart beat.

"Chloe!" I heard a man scream as he slapped me lightly across the face. I opened my eyes slowly to see Hotch and was overwhelmed by a flood of relief.

"Spencer?" I asked desperately.

"Alive. Can you walk?"

"No, I don't think so."

He picked me up bridal style and carried me out of the room and I saw Rossi and Emily supporting the weight of Spencer while Morgan aggressively shoved a handcuffed Rider out of the warehouse. Now that the danger was over and the adrenaline was starting to wear off all I wanted to do was sleep.

"I'm tired Hotch." I whispered as I laid my head on his shoulder getting a mixture of tears, sweat and blood all over his suit.

"I know you are honey but you have to stay awake. We're gonna take you to the hospital so the doctors can check you out and then you can sleep for as long as you want." he said fatherly.

"I'm gonna sleep for a month."

Even though I was being completely serious he laughed as he laid me down on a stretcher and I was wheeled into an ambulance next to Spencer. I found myself laughing as well despite the pain in my ribs earning me more than a few strange looks. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was a paramedic shining a light in my eyes and a pinch in the crook of my elbow.

* * *

><p>I woke up sometime later in a small hospital room hooked up to various beeping machines. I looked over to see Spencer lying in the bed next to mine and smiled. Even with his face covered in cuts and bruises he was still adorable when he slept. He must have sensed me staring because his brows furrowed and he opened his eyes.<p>

"Hey." I said quietly.

"Hey." he replied turning his face to look at me.

"You look like hell." I joked causing us both to laugh.

"You look worse."

"Yeah maybe but at least it's over."

"And now we can sleep for a month. At least they put us in the same room."

"I think Hotch might have had something to do with that. Speaking of Hotch, I thought you guys said he never smiled."

"He doesn't." he said confused.

"Then that just means I'm special and he likes me because he called me honey then smiled and even laughed." I boasted keeping the mood light.

"You're kidding?" he asked astonished.

"Nope. You jealous?"

"A little."

Shortly after that our doctor walked in to check on our vitals and help us take stock of our injuries. Between us there were a dozen broken or fractured ribs, a busted knee cap, a broken arm, two dislocated shoulders, a broken wrist and an unquantifiable amount of cuts and bruises. All in all we were a mangled train wreck and it would take us quite a while to heal.

"So the good news is that you're both going to be just fine. The bad news is we're going to have to keep you here for a few days for observation." the doctor concluded.

"What about visitors?" I asked hopefully.

"Well if you feel up to it there's a very impatient group of people crowding my waiting room."

"Yes." Spencer and I both answered eagerly in sync.

The doctor was barely out of the room long enough for us to struggle into a sitting position before Morgan busted through the door closely followed by the others. They surround us and though I was slightly chlostrophobic I was ecstatic to see them all.

"You guys look like hell." Morgan commented.

"Yeah we already established that." I stated.

"Be nice you." Garcia threatened smacking him on the chest before sitting on the edge of Spencer's bed.

"How are you two feeling?" Hotch asked.

"Drugged." we answered simultaniously making everyone laugh.

"Good, you've still got a sense of humor." Rossi said perching at the foot of my bed.

"If you think that's funny you should have seen how we broke them without even knowing it." I confessed.

"I have to say that was the best executed insanely rediculous plan I've ever been a part of." Spencer added.

"And how did you two manage that?" Emily asked.

"Well I don't know if you know this or not but we can be extremely annoying."

"Even more so combined." I agreed.

"So you annoyed them until they cracked?" Morgan questioned.

"Yup."

"How?"

"Well Chloe laughed maniacally while Rider beat her then when he would stop she would ask if that was the best he could do and insisted that he could do better." Spencer explained.

"You're not serious." Hotch said but it was more of a question.

"Oh yeah and then Spencer over here kept trying to explain to the deputy that his violence stems from a need to overcompensate since he couldn't get it up because his mom didn't love him enough as a child." I continued.

"I didn't put it so crudely though." he defended.

"You two are insane." J.J. stated.

"True but it totally worked."

"I think we worked quite well together."

"Agreed. It was a team effort."

"Especially when I took out Donnor before he could shoot the both of you idiots." Morgan interjected.

"And we love you too Morgan." I sincerely joked.


	17. Chapter 17

William Shakespeare wrote, "Go to your boson: Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know."

* * *

><p>Three days, it had been three days since Spencer and I had been admitted and we were quickly becoming the gossip of the hospital. Most of that gossip was negative however, as we had upset quite a few of the nurses and other various hospital staff. Some members of the staff found us amusing though, actually there was really only one.<p>

You see there really wasn't much to do while confined to a hospital bed and we needed to find ways to entertain ourselves. It started as Reid voicing a simple observation that caused a young nurse to flee the room crying hysterically. That was when we learned how amusing it was to profile to hospital staff.

"You use a profuse amount of large words to compensate for the fact that you obtained a substandard education." Spencer stated one morning to a resident.

"And the way you walk is so forcibly masculine. Not quite unnatural so much as a conscious way of trying to make yourself appear more manly than you really are." I added. "You try so hard to keep up this image of yourself that really isn't necessary. You are a sensitive, caring man who enjoys broadway musicals and a good romantic comedy. It's nothing to be ashamed of, the opposite actually."

The once over confident resident looked at us, his mouth agape. He was our fourth resident so far as all the others had begged to switch patients within a day. We were always truthful but some people just couldn't handle the cold, heart truth.

"How did you know that?" he asked slightly mortified at the fact that us mere strangers had unearthed his hidden traits.

"We're psychic." I answered cheerily.

"Oh! Do you like magic tricks?" Spencer questioned shuffling a deck of cards.

"No." he said stiffly and walked away.

Shortly after he left a middle aged nurse entered the room; hands on her hips and accusation in her eyes. She was the only one that continued to put up with us through our stunts. Our own doctor wouldn't even come anywhere near us unless he had to.

"You two are unbelieveable." Rosa, the latina nurse stated harshly. "Why do you keep driving everyone away?"

"We're not trying to specifically." Spencer stated shyly.

"Yeah and it's not like what we're saying isn't true." I added.

"So what you're saying is that just because you two are bored and miss your jobs that gives you the right to make people feel bad about themselves as long as it's true?"

"Actually with that last one I was trying to make him see that being a sensitive, romantic man was nothing to be ashamed of." I defended.

"Really? Because I've been telling him that for years."

"Now you see that we aren't all bad."

"Fine but could you please try not to be so offensive about it?" she asked.

"I can make no such promises." Spencer stated.

"Well I can Rosa and I'll do my best to keep this one in line." I agreed.

"That's what I like to hear. Thank you Chloe."

"Don't mention it."

She left feeling triumphant and Spencer turned back to the table that stood between us dealing out the cards for a game of texas hold 'em. Most people thought that he had the advantage being from Las Vegas but I was pretty good and I had a hell of a poker face.

This was how we spent our days; profiling the hospital staff and playing various card games or chess. Sometimes when other members of the team would visit we'd play spades. We made a good team as spades partners since we could read each other so well.

Spencer and I hadn't talked much about the status of our relationship which wasn't all that surprising. I knew that it would come up eventually though because of the promise I had made to give him a chance. It was honestly the easiest promise I ever made and I had every intention of keeping it. I wasn't a hundred percent sure how I felt about him but I knew I felt strongly and that my thoughts about him were very unprofessional in a blushing way. My inppropriate thoughts for him were nothing new though but ever since the kiss we shared they had become more frequent.

"So about the promises we both made..." I started and his face fell.

"You want to back out." he said sadly throwing down his cards.

"No! God no, not at all." I was just going to suggest that we could start now before we get back to work and get to overthinking it all." I explained quickly.

"Really?"

"Yeah I was thinking a nice sterile dinner in the cafeteria with crappy food surrounded by miserable sick people would be the perfect first date." I joked seriously.

"For us it would be." he agreed.

We laughed heartily for a few minutes before he got out of bed and pushed my wheelchair over to where I could settle myself in with minimal help though I insisted on doing it myself. He told me to quit arguing and deal with it as he pushed me along with his good arm. We made our way to the cafeteria in silence opting for just coffee though since neither of us were really hungry.

"I have to be honest, I've never actually been on a date before." I said quietly.

"I haven't been on many myself." he admitted.

"Wow we really are a couple of social lepers aren't we?"

"Morgan would say that makes us perfect for each other."

"Yeah Morgan would have a lot to say about us." I said laughing.

"He certainly would if he knew there was anything going on between us."

"How long do you figure we'll be able to hide it?"

"Is that what you want?" He asked suddenly serious.

"No, I mean, not exactly. I just think that it should be our business." I tried to explain. "If they find out then that's great but I think that maybe we need to see where this goes without outside influences."

"That makes sense. I'm sorry, I got the wrong impression." he agreed.

"Okay if we're going to be together then you need to stop apologizing for everything." I joked.

"Deal."

We chatted more as we finished our coffee before Spencer awkwardly pushed my wheelchair back to our room. This time I didn't argue because I knew that he was just trying to be chivalrous. I let him help me steady myself to sit on the bed and push the wheelchair to the side. Before he could get into his own bed I grabbed his hand and pulled him towards me.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"Nothing."

I placed a hand on his chest while the other reached behind his neck and he understood why I stopped him. He moved down to sit on the bed beside me and leaned in kissing me softly. Things soon got heated as his tongue ran across my lips and I succumbed to him deepening the kiss.

"Wow." I said though it came out as a whisper when he pulled back, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Indeed."


	18. Chapter 18

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Henry S. Haskins.

* * *

><p>A week later they finally told us that we were going to be released. I couldn't wait to get out of here and get some real food. It was going to be another couple of hours though before they would let us go home. Then I got to thinking about home, my home that was broken into while I thought it was secure. The thought of going back there made me feel uneasy.<p>

"Are you okay?" Spencer asked picking up on my discomfort.

"I'm fine." I lied. "No I'm really not."

"What's wrong?"

I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to tell him what was wrong with me. What if he thought I was being paranoid? I was. What if he thought I was crazy? I sure did. I took a good look at him. He seemed genuinely concerned and he was. Spencer was the best friend I had ever had and now possibly more. I trusted him with my life. Why was I hesitating to share my thoughts?

"Promise you won't think I'm crazy?" I questioned hopefully.

"Yes."

"Alright, I guess I'm just afraid of going back to that apartment. I want to move."

"With what's happened that's understandable." he sympathized.

"And I don't want to be alone." I admitted.

"Also understandable." There was a long pause before he continued. "Stay with me."

"What?"

"Come and stay with me. At least until you find a new apartment. I have a spare room and with us being out of work for at least a couple more weeks we could use the company."

"You're serious." I stated thinking it over.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." he said without hesitation.

"Okay, thank you Spencer."

"You're welcome."

* * *

><p>Seeing as the team was out of town on a case we took a cab to my apartment so I could collect some of my things. My knee had healed enough so that I didn't need to be in the wheelchair anymore, I just had to use a cane and not stay on it for too long. I hesitated before putting my key in the door. Spencer put a reassuring hand on the small of my back and I unlocked it taking a deep breath before I let him lead me into the room. I didn't linger as I stuffed as much clothes as I could into a large duffle bag slinging it over my shoulder and following him down to the waiting taxi.<p>

It didn't take long to get to Spencer's apartment as he only lived a few blocks from me. He paid the cab driver and we made our way up to his floor. Walking into his apartment I was amazed. It was so neat and tidy with two large crammed book cases in the living room. It was incredibly spacious, I noticed, as he showed me around.

"This is the guest room, where you'll be staying." he stated showing me into a room at the end of the hallway. "My room is right there if you should need anything." he continued indicating the room directly across the hall.

"Thank you again for letting me stay with you." I said.

"I'm glad to have you here Chloe and you are welcomed to stay for as long as you want." he replied smiling.

I stood on my tip toes to give him a quick kiss before dropping my bag on the bed in my new temporary room and we ordered take out. It didn't take long for the food to get there and we sat down on the living room couch to eat, him flipping on the television to the game show network.

"No way." I said with a chuckle.

"What?" he asked confused.

"I am uberly addicted to this channel."

"Me too."

"I never knew we had so much in common." I admitted.

"I have a feeling that we will find much more commonalities that we share."

"This is going to be fun." I declared.

After we finished eating we cleared away the trash and sat back down to watch Lingo which was without a doubt my favorite game show closely followed by 1 vs 100. It was nearing midnight when there was a loud knock on the door. We glanced briefly at one another before Spencer got up to answer it. He opened the door to reveal a very exhausted looking Garcia.

"Hey boy wonder." she greeted happily. "How are you?"

"Great now that I'm not stuck in that hospital room." he replied.

"Good. I wanted to make sure I checked on you before I went home to get some sleep. I'm heading over to Chloe's next."

"That won't be necessary." I called from the couch as he invited her in.

"Now what's going on here?" she asked with a smirk.

"Nothing." he replied.

"I didn't want to go back to my apartment after what happened so Reid offered to let me stay with him until I can find a new one." I explained.

"Oh." she actually seemed disappointed. "Then I guess you won't need me to check in on you guys anymore."

"No but we do appreciate it."

I stood up to hug Garcia and then she left but not before she assured us that she would still be calling to check up on us. It was good to know that there were people out there who cared even with a case hanging over their heads. Despite the fact that I dealt with death on a daily basis at a job that was rather dangerous I found myself content with the way my life had turned out so far.

"That was unexpected." Spencer stated sitting back down on the couch.

"I got the feeling that she was disappointed with my answer as to what was going on here." I said sliding over to snuggle into his side.

"You think she wants there to be something between us?"

"I do and I know that she'll be the first to figure it out that there actually is. Well her and Morgan."

"She probably already called him to gossip about it."

"Oh I have no doubt about that."

* * *

><p>(Morgan P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>I had barely been back to my hotel room for ten minutes before my phone started ringing. "Morgan." I answered.<p>

"Oh my gosh!" I heard Garcia practically squeal.

"Calm down baby girl. What's wrong?"

"Chloe just moved in with Reid!"

"What?"

"I went over to Reid's to check on him and she was there. She said that he was letting her stay there until she could find a new apartment."

"Are you sure she just didn't want to go back to her place after what happened?"

"That might be a part of it but I'm telling you there is more going on. There is something going on between them. They both seemed happy, really happy." she argued.

"Garcia I think you're overreacting."

"Don't you give me overreacting Derek Morgan."

"Come on, this is Chloe and Reid we're talking about. I doubt either of them even know how to be in a relationship." I tried to rationalize though I was hoping that she was right.

"Exactly. Which is why they are so perfect for each other."


	19. Chapter 19

Oscar Wilde said, "It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution."

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>It had been a month since I moved in with Spencer, almost six weeks since our last case and we were both itching to get back to work. The only problem was that Strauss demanded that we attend a manditory joint therapy session to determine whether or not we were psychologically ready to return. So here we sat in the waiting room eager to get this over with.<p>

"Reid and Macklin." the receptionist called.

We entered the therapist's office quietly taking a seat in either chair across from him. He was a stout man, large and impecably dressed in a charcoal gray tailored suit. He was well beyond middle aged but his eyes were surprisingly youthful. Despite the typical psychologist stereotype he seemed like a very likeable man.

"Good morning agents." he greeted merrily. "Shall we dive right in?"

"Yes." we answered simultaniously.

"It is my understanding that the two of you were kidnapped and subjected to four days for torture by a pair of men responsible for Ms. Macklin's kidnapping when she was fourteen." he stated.

"That is correct." I replied.

"Tell me about that."

Spencer and I took turns endulging the shrink in the full story of our trauma sparing only the details of our intimate conversations and actions. It was a difficult story for us to tell emotionally as we were forced to relive the torture as we remembered and discribed it. We explained how we kept each other sane and how we both knew that we would never make it out alive.

"How did you feel thinking that you would both die." he asked.

"Afraid." Spencer admitted.

"Guilty." I added.

"Why did you feel guilty Chloe?"

"Because it was me they were after and if he hadn't been with me they wouldn't have taken him. If I hadn't escaped fifteen years ago he never would have been involved."

"That's not your fault." Spencer insisted.

"I know but at the time I wasn't exactly thinking rationally, hell our escape plan was proof of that." I explained.

"True."

"What escape plan." Dr. Marx, the psychologist, questioned confused. That must have not been in the report.

"It had been four days and we knew it was only a matter of time before we would crack so we concocted this rediculous plan to pit them against each other." I stated.

"You see when Chloe was kidnapped the first time the dominant partner ordered the submissive one to kill her. We never found out why he disobeyed that order but we planned to use it to drive a wedge between them. Surprisingly enough we didn't have to."

"We broke them without even realizing it before we even got to play that card."

"And how did you break them?" the doctor asked now entirely invested in our tale.

"I laughed at the submissive partner as he beat me while taunting him." I stated with a smile.

"And I kept trying to explain to the dominant partner that his rage stemmed from a need to overcompensate for his lack of sexual arrousal caused by the fact that his mother didn't show him enough affection as a child." Spencer finished.

"That would do it." Marx agreed with a laugh.

"At the time it seemed like a good idea but if agent Morgan and the rest of our team hadn't shown up when they did our plan would have killed us."

"Which may have been our intention all along." I confessed.

"We never thought that they would find us in time, there was next to no chance of us surviving the incident and I believe that subconciously we wanted the suffering to end." he explained solemnly.

* * *

><p>"So how'd it go?" Rossi asked as we met the team for drinks after they got back from closing another case.<p>

"Hard to say." I replied. "We didn't try to hide anything which is good but with what we went through psychologically I'm not sure what the outcome will be."

"I'm sure it'll all work out."

"You know the fact that I actually want to return to a job where I know I'll see things that I couldn't imagine in my worst nightmares really says something about me." I said finishing off my jack and Dr. Pepper.

"And what's that?"

"My whole life has been about what I suffered. My kidnapping, and even before that with my parents it's all been about pain."

"You sought out this job to make a difference because you didn't want anyone else to know what you felt. That's honorable and don't forget that. I don't know if you know this but I too chose to come back. Now what does that say?" he asked.

"That we're both rowing the same pathetic boat." I said laughing as the waitress brought us another round.

"To us, who without this job would be nothing." he toasted and we drank.

"Chloe I need to talk to you about Ashton." Morgan stated taking a break from the dance floor to join us.

"Please tell me you did not kill my dog." I joked.

"No I just thought you should know that she and Clooney are getting along quite well."

"That's good. Thank you again for taking care of her until I find a new apartment." I said but he continued like he hadn't heard me.

"Yeah they're getting along so well that pretty soon we'll be in-laws."

"What are you talking about?" I asked taking a sip of my drink.

"I'm not a hundred percent but I'm pretty sure she's pregnant." he said with a smirk causing me to spit out the drink all over the table.

"What?" I yelled earning the attention of the rest of the team.

"What's going on?" Hotch asked as they all joined us.

"Clooney knocked up Ashton." Rossi replied laughing along with the rest of them.

"Congradulations you're going to be grandparents." Garcia offered and this time I joined in on the laughter.

* * *

><p>The next day Spencer and I picked up Ashton from Morgan's and took her to the vet. I couldn't believe that she might be pregnant but then again Clooney took after his owner and as everyone said Morgan was a stud. While we were sitting in the waiting room I got to thinking if puppies would be such a bad idea. It didn't take long for the vet to call us into the back and she took some blood to test. Twenty minutes later she came back.<p>

"Congradulations Ms. Macklin, Ashton is indeed expecting." she said happily.

"This'll be fun." I muttered.

"It's not that bad Chloe." Spencer commented picking up on my sarcasm. "Puppies are adorable. I wish my building allowed pets."

* * *

><p>AN: Just to clear it up I do know that it takes longer than twenty minutes for a blood test.


	20. Chapter 20

Legendary world champion racing driver Mario Andretti once said, "If everything is under control, you are going too slow."

* * *

><p>Another three weeks had gone by and all of our wounds were finally healed. Spencer's arm was still a little sensitive where it was previously broken but other than that we were fit as a fiddle. I was just getting back from checking up on Ashton at Morgan's. When I walked back into Spencer's apartment I was met the the scent of food cooking.<p>

"What's all this?" I asked seeing the table set for two, a small candle sitting in the center, and him standing over the stove.

"You have perfect timing." he said turning off the stove and coming over to kiss me briefly before handing me a single red rose he had hidden behind his back. "While our first date went well I thought that my girlfriend deserved a proper date."

"Girlfriend?"

"Oh, well, if you don't want, I, we..." he stammered.

"Spencer shut up." I said pulling him down to kiss him deeply. "I would love for you to call me your girlfriend and this is so sweet. It's perfect."

He sighed in relief before pulling out a chair at the dining room table for me and headed back into the kitchen to plate the food. I know it was only pasta but it was delicious. I never knew he could cook. We ate our meal with a bottle of red wine and light conversation. Once we were finished I insisted on clearing the table while he took our wine into the living room then I joined him on the couch.

"I had no idea you could cook." I stated.

"You never gave me a chance to, you always insisted on doing it yourself."

"Well it was wonderful and so are you."

I leaned in to kiss him and after a few minutes I ran my tongue across his lower lip. He parted his lips allowing me to deepen the kiss. He whimpered as I pulled back and stood up, taking his hand and leading him down the hall into my room. I closed the door behind us and turned around kissing him again as I began to unbutton his shirt.

"Chloe." he whispered as I kissed my way down his neck.

"Spencer." I replied slightly mocking him with a smile as I removed his shirt completely and reached for his belt.

"Are you sure?" he asked looking deeply into my eyes.

"Yes."

He nodded before slowly lifting my shirt over my head and I pushed him down onto the bed. He hovered over me leaving a trail of soft kisses across my neck and chest as he removed my pants. I reached between us to unbuckle his belt and in no time his own pants joined mine on the floor. After that we made quick work of removing the remaining clothes that seperated us.

Our hands roamed tenderly as we explored the curves of each other's bodies. He stopped suddenly gazing back into my eyes before kissing me passionately as he positioned himself at my enterance. I gasped as he entered me gently, completely inveloping himself inside me before he began to move within me at a painfully slow speed. I rocked my hips against his quickening the pace and soon we were clinging to each other's sweaty bodies in a desperate attempt to become even closer.

* * *

><p>An hour later we lay side by side wrapped in each other's arms my head resting on his chest as we panted to catch our breath. I hadn't been by any means pure before tonight but this time was different. This time it wasn't just sex, we had made love and that's when I realized that I had fallen in love with Spencer Reid. I smiled contentedly as I let his calming heart beat lull me to sleep.<p>

* * *

><p>I woke up early the next morning more than a little sore from our late night activities. Just thinking about it brought a big cheesy grin to my face as I snuck out of the bed and searched for my underwear before slipping them on. I grabbed Spencer's shirt from the floor and buttoned it across my chest while heading out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.<p>

I was a little startled when there was a loud knock on the door. I walked over to open it revealing Morgan and Garcia. I looked down at myself realizing that I wasn't wearing pants and mentally slapped myself thoroughly embarrassed. To make matters worse Spencer walked into the kitchen sporting only his boxers completely unaware that we had company. I was glad they hadn't seen him yet.

"You know a guy could get the wrong idea from a beautiful woman such as yourself answering the door dressed like that." Morgan said grinning.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked a little louder than I needed to trying to warn Spencer.

"We came to say hello." Garcia answered but I didn't think that was the real reason.

Before I could stop them they pushed past me into the room. Morgan caught Spencer off guard and he dropped his cup of coffee to the floor with a deer in a set of headlights look on his face. A strained silence descended upon the apartment as we all just stared at each other until Garcia spoke up.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed.

"Garcia. Morgan." Spencer said embarrassed.

"I told you but you didn't believe me." she directed at Morgan.

"I never said I didn't believe you." he replied.

"If you'll excuse me I'm just going to get dressed and maybe crawl into a hole for a decade or so until this is over." I stated fleeing the room.

Once I hit the hallway I practically ran to my room shutting the door behind me and yanking my pants on. I knew that everyone was going to find out about us I just hadn't imagined it would be like this. I sat down on the bed trying to get up the nerve to face them. After a couple of minutes the door opened and Spencer walked in fully dressed.

"Hey." he said quietly.

"How bad do you think it is?" I asked standing and resting my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.

"I don't know but we knew that they would find out."

"Yeah but I didn't think it would be this soon. We haven't even gotten back to work yet."

"I know. We should get back out there." he suggested.

I nodded and gave him a quick kiss before he took my hand and led me back out to the living room. Garcia and Morgan were lounging in a couple of arm chairs looking fully satisfied. We walked in and sat down on the couch together waiting for the torrent of questions to begin.

"So you two have gotten pretty close since the kidnapping huh?" Morgan asked.

"We've always been close but yes, I suppose we have grown closer." Spencer replied.

"Is it official yet?" Garcia jumped in.

"Yes." I answered.

"I have to tell everyone, they're going to be so excited." she said texting quickly.

So now it was out in the open. Pretty soon everyone would know about our relationship, I just hoped that Hotch wouldn't force one of us to transfer. We hadn't even been cleared to go back to work yet and already there was another reason we may not be able to.

"You're worried about Hotch's policy on inter-office relationships." Morgan said reading my mind and I just nodded.


	21. Chapter 21

"Civilized society is perpetually menaced with disintegration through this primary hostility of men towards one another." - Sigmund Freud.

* * *

><p>First thing the next morning Spencer and I had a metting with Hotch to discuss the results of our psychological evaluations. At exactly eight he called us into his office and we climbed the stairs nervously. We were silent as we sat in the slightly uncomfortable chairs across from his desk and he opened a folder.<p>

"I have the results of your evaluations here." he started as stone faced as ever giving us no indication as to the outcome. "You both passed."

"That's great." I said relieved.

"Yes, however, it has come to my attention that the two of you are now intimately involved."

"We know you have a strict rule Hotch but - " Spencer jumped in but was cut off.

"I wasn't finished. Under normal circumstances one of you would be transferred to another unit but I believe that you can be rational and professional about this. For now I am going to allow you both to be fully reinstated but should your relationship effect your work in any way one of you will be leaving. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir." we both answered. Hotch nodded and handed us our badges and informed us that we had a case.

* * *

><p>At nine o'clock we met the rest of the team in the briefing room to hear about the case. Everyone congradulated us on both our relationship and reinstatements. It seemed that news travels fast here in the BAU because agents that I had never even seen before were staring at Spencer and I suspiciously. I was definately not thrilled by all of the attention and just wanted to jump into the case.<p>

"Pittsburg, Pennsylvania has a large crime rate but they're convinced that they're dealing with a serial killer." J.J. started putting crime scene photos up on the monitor. "They've got eleven bodies all discovered whithin the last month. All of the victims were male between the ages of twenty five and thirty and extremely physically fit."

"Each of them were severely beaten and shot in the back of the head execution style with a forty five caliber hand gun." Hotch continued.

"The bodies were all dumped at construction sites and they've asked for our help with this case."

"The shot to the back of the head is usually the mark of a professional, it's impersonal so then why would he take the time and effort to beat them so badly?" Emily asked.

"She's right, it makes no sense." I agreed.

"Maybe the UnSub is projecting a personal experience before killing them." Morgan chimed in.

"We can go over the details on the jet. Wheels up in thirty." Hotch ordered.

* * *

><p>Forty minutes later we were in the air, each of us looking over our own copies of the case file. The autopsy reports all showed defensive wounds and over half of the victims suffered wounds that had already begun to heal. I had a theory but the cause of death, being the gun shot wounds, didn't fit into that. Besides it was such a ludicrous theory that I didn't feel comfortable sharing it.<p>

* * *

><p>Another two hours passed before we landed in Pittsburg. We were met by the head of the local FBI field office and led to the office itself where they had a conference room set up for us. Agent Boyd, the agent in charge of the investigation, filled us in on the case and their leads before he got the call for another body.<p>

"J.J. I want you to talk to the media, see if we can keep a lid on this. Reid do a geographical profile. Chloe you assist Reid and the rest of us will go to the new scene." Hotch barked out orders and we all agreed.

Everyone left the station while Spencer requested a street map of the city from an agent designated to stay behind and help us. The agent by the name of Sykes looked questioningly at him but agreed none the less and left, returning shortly with the map.

"So tell me, what is a geographical profile?" Sykes asked.

"Geographical profiling is a criminal investigative methodology that analyzes the locations of a connected series of crimes to determine the most probable area of offender residence." Spencer responded.

"Right." he said clearly not understanding but also not wanting to ask again. "Does he always talk like that?" he asked me.

"When asked to explain something, yes he does tend to speak rather analytically." I replied purposefully in the same manner Spencer had with a smirk.

"Okay now I know you're messing with me." he accused.

"Maybe a little." I admitted.

"How do you manage to keep your healthy sense of humor when you face this every day?" he questioned gesturing to the crime scene photos.

"I'm just awesome."

My reply was simple and a bold faced lie. Spencer caught my gaze and smiled. He knew the truth, that if I didn't keep up the jokes that I would let the cases get to me, that sometimes those jokes came forcefully. I wasn't going to admit that to a complete stranger though, hell it should have been blatantly obvious. It was common sense or at least I thought it was.

"You know agent Macklin I was wondering if maybe after the case is closed you would let me take you out for dinner." Sykes asked causing Spencer to stop what he was doing and stare at the back of his head threateningly. It was all I could do not to laugh.

"I would love to take you up on that offer but I can't." I replied.

"Why is that?"

"She's involved." Spencer said now back to memorizing the map.

"Oh."

I sat on the edge of a desk rattling off addresses to Spencer. The victims home and work addresses and the location where each body was found. He marked them all off on the map, color coding them by category and stepped back when he was finished. I immediately noticed the empty section on the map.

"Do you see that?" he asked.

"Yeah, agent Sykes what's in that area?" I quiestioned.

"It's a warehouse district, there are no residences in that area." he stated amazed.

"Our UnSub either works or is squatting in that area." Spencer said confidently.

"Or both." I suggested.

"Or both." he repeated while dialing Hotch's phone to update him on what we found.

* * *

><p>(Rossi P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>This latest crime scene had been just like the others. A single male victim, twenty six years old, severely beaten, a single gun shot wound to the back of his head. Hotch stepped away to take a call from Reid while Emily interviewed the construction worker who discovered the body. Morgan and I were examining the body when I noticed something on his forearm.<p>

"What is that?" I questioned more to myself.

"Some kind of residue. Do you have a black light?" Morgan asked the medical examiner.

He ran out to his van and returned moments later with a pocket sized black light which he handed to Morgan who thanked him. He turned on the light and held it over the spot on the victim's forearm where we had seen the residue to reveal a four digit number.

"5218?" I stated as more of a question. "What do you suppose that means?"

"I have no idea but I'm willing to bet the other victims have them as well." he replied just as puzzled as I was.


	22. Chapter 22

An old Arab proverb states that "A thousand enemies outside the house are better than one within."

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>Spencer and I had been hanging around the office looking over case files while waiting for the rest of the team to return from the crime scene. J.J. had gotten back ten minutes ago with actual coffee and was talking with Garcia about our warehouse district. She confirmed that there were over fifty buildings in the blank section of our geographical profile and that twelve of them were abandoned or condemned.<p>

"Macklin." I answered my phone almost directly after J.J. hung up with Garcia.

"Chloe it's Morgan. Rossi and I found a number written on the latest victim's forearm in ultraviolet ink. I need you and Reid to go to the morgue and check the other bodies." he said.

"On it." I stated before hanging up and grabbing my jacket.

"What's going on?" Spencer asked me.

"We've got a lead."

Down at the city morgue we checked each victim with a black light and sure enough they all had varying four digit numbers on their left forearms. I wrote them all down with the coresponding victim name and we headed back to the FBI field office. The rest of the team was already there when we arrived and had been filled in on our warehouse theory. We figured that the UnSub was squatting at one of the abandoned buildings and everyone agreed. We set off to begin a search of each building.

The first five warehouses had been a bust but we found something interesting at the sixth. The building had been used recently judging from the food wrappers and lack of dust. The parking lot outside was dirt and full of fresh tire tracks. I had brought a black light with me in case we found another body but I found something else instead; blood. It was splattered all across the floor and some of the walls.

"Whoa." I stated.

"Is that blood?" Spencer asked looking over my shoulder.

"Yeah but not enough to indicate that anyone died here." Morgan jumped in.

"Oh my gosh!" I exclaimed in shock.

"What?"

"Well I had this theory on the plane and I didn't say anything because it was crazy but all of the evidence keeps bringing me back to it."

"And what's that?" Spencer asked.

"Fight Club."

"Seriously?" Morgan questioned.

"Think about it, all the victims were beaten, the warehouse district, the ultraviolet numbers, the blood. It all makes sense." I explained.

"What about the execution?"

"They lost."

"It does fit." he agreed.

"Can someone tell me what Fight Club is?" Spencer asked confused.

"I'd love to but the first rule of Fight Club is that we don't talk about Fight Club." Morgan said laughing as he walked away.

Spencer was aggitated by Morgan's completely warranted joke but once I explained to him what exactly Fight Club was he agreed with my theory. We met the other's outside who were astounded at my conclusion. Most of the local FBI agents just thought I was nuts.

"You don't seriously believe that this is some elaborate underground fighting ring do you?" agent Boyd asked me.

"Actually it makes more sense than a serial killer given the evidence." Hotch answered confidently though the question wasn't directed at him.

"So then how do we catch our killer?"

"First we need to find our fighting ring without arousing suspicion. Then we get someone on the inside."

* * *

><p>(Hotch P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>It was six days before we found our in to the fighting ring in the form of low life junky Archie Burton. There were no guarantees that we would get in but he gave up the location of the next fight which would be held the following night. The team were all standing around the conference room waiting to be told who would be sent in undercover.<p>

"Your agents aren't trained for undercover work." I argued with agent Boyd in his office.

"So what do you suggest?" he asked.

"I would like to send in agent Morgan. He's gone undercover before and he would blend in as a fighter and he would have backup."

"Well we can't send him in with another male agent it would be too suspicious. So it's down to your agents Macklin and Prentiss."

"Prentiss would be too intimidating we'll send in Macklin." I decided.

"Alright." he agreed.

* * *

><p>(Chloe P.O.V.)<p>

* * *

><p>We sat patiently awaiting Hotch and Boyd's decision as to who would be going undercover but I think we all knew it was obvious that it would end up being Morgan. Hotch waked out of Boyd's office and joined us in the conference room looking sure of himself.<p>

"Morgan and Chloe I need to speak to you in private." he stated and we agreed as he led us to an unoccupied office shutting the door behind us. "I'm sending the two of you in."

"Okay I understand that it's me but why did you pick Chloe?" Morgan asked.

"You need backup and she has the undercover experience."

"So does Prentiss."

"You and I both know that Prentiss is too intimidating for this assignment. They won't see Chloe as a threat. She'll be posing as your girlfriend." he explained. "That is if you're up to it. I would understand if you declined." he directed the last part towards me.

"I'm ready sir." I said confidently.

"Good. Have Garcia set up a false identity for you both, something suitable and you'll need to dress accordingly."

* * *

><p>After assuring her that I would have her man's back if anything should happen Garcia set us up with fake names and rap sheets to go along with them. Spencer was weary of me going undercover but he knew that it had to be done. Morgan and I found a store that was still open to aquire the appropriate attire for our covers and then we called it a night.<p>

* * *

><p>We arrived at the warehouse the next night at the designated time and were lucky that the junky had given us the correct password to get in. Morgan gave an enforcer his assumed name which was Rick who pulled up his rap sheet before stamping a number on his forearm.<p>

"Welcome to my operation Rick." a man in a suit said shaking Morgan's hand. "I am James Porter and who might this be?" he asked gesturing to me.

"This is my girl Ashley." Morgan introduced.

"Ash." I insisted flirtingly as Porter kissed my hand.


	23. Chapter 23

"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just." - Abraham Lincoln.

* * *

><p>Morgan and I stood around the ring observing the brutal fights before us. It was disturbing the way these fighters volunteered to beat each other to within an inch of their lives. I looked over at Morgan whose arm was firmly planted around my waist slightly more than a little worried for his safety. I hid it well though, we both had roles to play and mine was the girlfriend sure that her cocky criminal boyfriend couldn't lose.<p>

"Rick you're up next." Mike the 'fight planner' informed us.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Morgan as the fight ended.

"Don't worry about me sugar. You worry about the other guy." he whispered in my ear pulling back with a smirk.

He took off his jacket and handed it to me before kissing me deeply and stepping into the ring. I felt horrible about having to kiss him but Spencer and I had talked about this the night before. He pointed out that it was necessary for my cover and that we would be fine but I still felt guilty. I folded his jacket over my arm and put on my best Hotch face and watched as the fight began.

I knew that Morgan was a good fighter but the guy he was up against was huge, like a hockey enforcer on a lot of steroids. I watched as he took blow after blow while sizing up his opponent before he found his weakness. He noticed that the man always kept his lower right side guarded even if it meant taking a hit and Morgan used that against him. He forced the man to let his side guard down and then proceeded to repeatedly hit him in that spot. After another minute he was down and the fight was over.

I was waiting for Morgan to get out of the crowd praising the new guy when a waitress came over and handed me a folded slip of paper. Opening it I read off an address and password for the following night fight. It would seem that we were officially in. Since I wasn't carrying a purse I slipped it into the side of my bra and congradulated Morgan after he gave me a quick kiss.

"We're in." I whispered in his ear hiding it with a hug.

* * *

><p>An hour later we met up with Emily and Hotch in a bar. Even though he was wearing cargo shorts and a Steeler's tee Hotch still couldn't help but look official. He had to act a bit himself just to come off as a normal guy. Morgan and I were still in our undercover attire and I felt a bit uncomfortable sitting next to my boss looking like a prostitute.<p>

"So what did you find out?" Emily asked.

"Quite a lot actually." I started. "While Morgan here was fighting a line backer on steroids I was listening. You were right Hotch, they didn't think anything of me. They ignored me all together."

I explained to them everything I had overheard. It was mostly names, the big players. There was the head of the operation, James Porter. Mike was the name of the fight planner and Porter's second in command and Vicktor, Porter's lead enforcer. I also told them about Mozzie who placed some very hefty wagers on the fights and didn't like to lose. Hotch agreed that he was a promising suspect and texted the lead to Rossi.

"Oh. I also got this." I said pulling the slip of paper from my bra.

"Nice hiding spot." Emily commented.

"I've never understood why women put things there." Hotch stated gingerly taking the folded note from me.

"No pockets." Morgan explained.

"Alright, you two head back to your hotel room and we'll run down this Mozzie character. Hopefully Garcia will get something on him." Hotch said.

* * *

><p>Morgan and I had gotten another hotel room in a not so good part of town to keep up appearances. I found it a little unnecessary that he slept with a gun under his pillow but he assured me that the safety was on. We didn't really talk much we just got straight into bed and being the perfect gentleman that he was Morgan kept to his side the whole night.<p>

* * *

><p>The next night we arrived at the new location with a plan. Hotch had given me a gps tracker to plant on Mozzie. Garcia had dug up his real identity which was Arthur Mozerinni, a life long criminal who built quite the reputation as a bookie and a loan shark. Once we placed the tracker we would signal the team outside who would be waiting to raid the warehouse.<p>

Tonight Morgan was the first one up to fight. This fight had been different than the last, his opponent didn't seem to have any weaknesses. It lasted for nearly twenty minutes and I struggled to keep a straight face with every hit that Morgan took. In the end he won, but just barely. As he came over to me for a congradulatory kiss we were approached by a man.

"You're pretty good kid." the older man praised.

"Thanks. Rick." Morgan said holding out his hand and they shook.

"Mozzie."

This guy just made our job a whole lot easier. I pulled the tracker from Morgan's jacket and faked tripping to bump into the suspect, slipping the tracker in his coat pocket. I stood back up straight apologizing repeatedly and he told me not to worry about it. Behind the cover of Morgan's jacket which was still draped over my arm I pressed in a jewel fixed to the belt around my dress signalling the teams outside.

The next five minutes were hectic as several SWAT and tactical teams rushed into the building and everyone inside scrambled to get away. Morgan and I ran to get out of the way as the cops took down as many people as they could. Mozzie practically disappeared before us but our team had the receiver and used it to track him down quickly.

* * *

><p>"Thank heavens this is over, I look like a slut." I stated walking back into the FBI field office with the team.<p>

"You do not look like a prostitute. You look beautiful." Spencer tried to make me feel better.

"Seriously? You think I look good like this?" I asked him starting to get aggitated.

"No, what I meant was that you always look good no matter how you're dressed."

"Good answer." Hotch said walking past us to interrogation.

J.J. tossed me a bag with a change of clothes and I thanked her before going to the bathroom to change. Once I was done I joined the rest of the team in the viewing room, minus Rossi and Morgan who were interrogating Mozzie. After a while he confessed to the murders stating that the victims cost him a lot of money in bets. They couldn't pay him the money he lost so he killed them.

* * *

><p>"So how was it?" Emily asked me once we were on the jet heading home.<p>

"Oh you mean watching Morgan get his ass kicked?" I joked.

"Hey I won both of those fights." he defended.

"That's true but you took a hell of a beating in that last one."

"I think you had the harder time trying to keep a straight face."

"Yeah that was difficult but I think I channeled my inner Hotch quite well thank you very much." I said confidently. "No offense sir." I added to Hotch.

"None taken." he replied without looking up from the file he was reading.


	24. Chapter 24

Explorer Christopher Columbus once said, "You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

* * *

><p>It was late when we got back to Spencer's apartment but that didn't stop us from spending a few hours in blissful passion. It felt good to be with him after spending two days pretending to be someone else's girlfriend. I still felt guilty about that but it was slowly fading.<p>

"So was it fun; being Morgan's significant other?" he asked as we lay together.

"Pretty difficult given the job description. I was supposed to stand there silently and watch him get beaten with indifference while pretending to be his girlfriend and actually being his friend. All I wanted to do was run out there and jump on that guy." I admitted, both of us laughing by the end from imagery.

"That would have been entertaining, but very dangerous."

"Do you want to know the worst part?" I asked and he nodded for me to continue. "I missed you. It was hard to be professional when all I wanted to do was be with you."

I know it was lame but it was the truth. I was expecting it since we had only been back to work for a few days. I hoped that it would get easier with time. Rossi had told me before I even started that this job had a tendency to consume you and his string of ex-wives was a testiment to that but I thought it would be different with Spencer and I since we both knew how hard this job could be on a relationship.

"I know what you mean, I wanted to punch that agent Sykes when he asked you out." he said.

"I noticed that. I was trying not to laugh in his face because I was picturing you doing exactly that."

"So was I, minus the laughing part."

"Garcia found me a few apartments to check out." I changed the subject.

"That's good." he said looking away.

"You sound disappointed."

"I'm not, really. I was just thinking."

"And what is that brilliant mind of yours comtemplating at the moment?"

"What if you just move in with me, permanently?" he asked sincerely.

"Really?"

"Yes. I know it's a big step but I don't want you to leave, and besides more than half of the time you wouldn't be there." he explained.

"That's true we do spend a lot of time out of town on cases and I would probably be staying over here every other night." I insinuated. "Are you sure you really want me to move in?"

"Of course I am."

"Okay." I agreed kissing him. "I'll tell Garcia to stop looking tomorrow."

He propped himself on his elbow and leaned over me running his fingers down my side while leaving a trail of steamy kisses down my neck. His lips reached the spot where my neck met my collar bone and I let out a moan of pure pleasure. We had already went two rounds but it was obvious that he was ready for a third. I dug my nails into his back as he lightly bit down on the sweet spot. I groaned loudly as my phone began to ring on the night stand.

"Yes?" I answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Chloe?" I heard Morgan ask confused.

"What do you want?" I demanded trying to stifle a moan as Spencer kissed and licked his way down my chest and abdomen to my hips while rubbing the inside of my thigh but ultimately failing.

"Ashton's having the puppies." he said hurriedly and I could hear the howling and yelping in the background.

"Now!"

"Yes now."

"But it's almost four a.m.."

"Tell her that." he said obviously frustrated and unsure of what to do.

"Okay don't panic I'm on my way." I stated hanging up before he could respond. "You are evil." I directed at Spencer while scrambling to get my clothes on.

"Who was that?" he asked.

"Morgan. He's freaking out because Ashton is having the puppies."

He jumped up and began getting dressed himself. Five minutes later we left the parking lot speeding towards Morgan's house. Stepping out of the car we could hear Ashton's yelping and whining from the street. I ran into the house not even bothering to knock and found them in the kitchen.

"About fifteen minutes ago Clooney came busting into my room barking like crazy. I found her like this and she's already popped out two." Morgan explained.

"I need a blanket and a towel." I ordered and he left briefly before returning with both.

"What can I do?" Spencer asked trying to help.

"Wet the towel and clean off the puppies as Morgan hands them to you." I said positioning the comforter like a bed. "Then put them on the blanket and keep an eye on them."

* * *

><p>Three hours later we had twelve puppies in total. We were exhausted, all of us sitting on the kitchen floor. I scooted myself back inbetween Spencer's legs and he wrapped his arms around my waist as Morgan picked up Ashton and laid her on the comforter where Clooney was already keeping the puppies warm.<p>

"Twelve puppies. Jesus." Morgan stated.

"Do you think Hotch would mind if we just didn't show up for work until around noon?" Spencer asked.

"I don't know but I also don't really care. I'll text him and let him know what's going on. He'll probably understand and I'm sure he's already awake." I said pulling out my phone.

I texted Hotch and he agreed to let us come in late. Spencer and I were both too tired to drive so we just crashed in Morgan's guest room. I hadn't even known Ashton was due yet but here we were with twelve puppies on our hands that all needed good homes.

* * *

><p>Noon rolled around and the three of us walked into the BAU to the sound of applause coming from our team members. I walked over to Garcia first handing her the memory chip from my camera and asked her to spread the word about the puppies. Right away she demanded that she got one and I promised her first pick.<p>

"So how did it go?" Rossi asked.

"It was terrifying." Morgan admitted and Spencer agreed.

"It wasn't that bad." I said.

"Are you kidding? Between Ashton and Clooney the entire neighborhood was up all night."

"If you thought that was scary Morgan you just wait until you end up married and have to hold your wife's hand as he pushes a child from her womb, let alone twelve." Hotch chimed in.

"Very funny Hotch."

"I'm serious."

We all laughed at Morgan's expense and chatted for a bit while getting caught up on paperwork. We looked over a few case files and sent out some preliminary profiles since we couldn't take every case. J.J. whistled indicating that we had a new case and we all filed into the briefing room for the details.

* * *

><p>Rossi had been right, this job was consuming. It was demanding and neverending and each new case tore away at my psyche. It was also the best thing that had ever happened to me. Because of this job I was a part of something, a family and we saved lives. We put evil behind bars to protect the innocent. Because of this job I had a budding relationship with a man better than I could have ever hoped for. And as Spencer stole a kiss in the parking lot on the way to the jet I knew that I had a chance at real love and that this was only the beginning.<p>

* * *

><p>"Real love stories never have endings." - Richard Bach.<p> 


	25. Author's Note

I would like to give a special thanks to everyone who reviewed this story while it was a work in progress (listed below), especially those of you who reviewed multiple times. It was really great to hear your feedback and demands for updates (it really did help me to get this story completed faster).

**vampiremuggle**

**You cant rush science.**

**LeedsUK**

**wurd-god**

**Scarlett Evans**

**99**

**matt-hardy-lover-101**

**BlackAngelAria**

**C'est La Vie Mon Amour**

**demonicseer**

**Alina Maxwell**

**ej-83**

**kurounue13**

**DrNikiReid**

**wolviegurl**

**Crazy For Mac-A-Damian Nutz**

**Lift the Wings**

**snowgirl17**

**kie1993**

**Stargazer1364**

**ScarlettSnow6**

**Wondering Soul**

I had a great time writing this story and though I must put it aside for now to work on other projects I don't believe that I am finished with it. I am fairly certain that I will be doing a sequel to this story eventually in the comming months (though I will be planning the next one better) and I will let you know when I start working on it. Thanks again to all of you who reviewed, will review in the future, and those of you who read even a single chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

**xxTaintedLullabyxx**


	26. Update 081914

**Update 08/19/14:**

Okay so I have been out of commission for a VERY long time now and I greatly appreciate that I am still receiving reviews and favorites on my old stories. I have started several stories in my long hiatus and haven't been able to commit to a single one. So now I would like to get the input of those of you who do enjoy my work. What should I work on next? Maybe if I have a little pressure from you guys it'll be the push that I need to finally finish something. I'll be posting a poll on here with 10 of my ideas for a new story (some of which I have already started and all of which I have ideas for) and I will let you decide what I should work on. I will also be listing them below and if you want to send me a PM with any ideas you may like to see me write I will gladly do so and you will be given full credit for your input. Thank you all so much for all of you who have me on alert and enjoy my work I hope that I can give you something new to enjoy.

J. Gibb!

**Ideas for New Stories:**

Doctor Who - Doctor / OC (10th or 11th?)

Supernatural - Castiel / OC

Avengers - Captain America (Steve Rogers) / OC

Chuck - Chuck Bartowski / OC

Torchwood - Captain Jack Harkness / OC

Agents of SHIELD - Leo Fitz / OC

Primeval - Connor Temple / OC

Merlin - Merlin / OC

Once Upon a Time - Captain Hook (Killian Jones) / OC

Vampire Diaries - Matt Donovan / OC


End file.
